


See Me Now

by IrisM



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2018-01-07 04:57:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1115778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisM/pseuds/IrisM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's one year since Harry took Niall, his sister's son, in. One year since he had no clue how to be a parent and one year since he was struggling to give Niall everything he needed. Without friends or a boyfriend, Harry had to handle the little boy on his own. The boy who had no friends and no other relatives. One day Michael appears in Niall's life and helps him to become that happy, bright boy he once was. The only problem, Michael is only visible for Niall. How will Harry react to this new person in Niall's life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summary

**Author's Note:**

  * For [midnightwriter4747](https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightwriter4747/gifts).



*Harry's Pov*

Waking up this morning was harder than other days. Not because Niall is crying in the room next to mine, not because I was needed at work earlier than usual, not because I wasn't feeling well, but because today it was exactly one year that Niall was living with me, a year since my sister had an emotional breakdown, dumped all her problems on me hoping that I could fix them for her. One of her so called problems was the 8 year old boy crying in the next room and I had dreaded this day for over a week. 

You could say what you want about Niall, but that boy is nothing like my sister. Niall is care free, loving life, never needs an excuse to laugh, he iss grateful for all the small things that come his way, yet he is gentle, emotional and can't handle seeing other people having problems. So when his mum told him that she was leaving her little boy at his uncle's because she needed to sort herself out, because she wasn't being a good mum to Niall and needed to change that, the seven year old boy nodded and told her he understood. Everyday he would ask me when his mum would come back and everyday I would tell him it would be soon. It's been a year since he saw his mum, a year since he had a decent hug, a year since his laugh reached his eyes, a year since he played with his friends... A year since his heart had broken in a thousand pieces... 

Today os the day he wants to say goodbye to his mum. It's weird hearing an 8 year old saying that he can't wait for his mum anymore, not with him having a nice and decent guardian who has his best interest in mind. Not knowing where his mum is, not knowing whether she will ever return is harder on him than knowing she is dead, so today we will hold a funeral, because for some reason Niall thinks it will make things easier on him.

No brother wants to bury their sister that isn't dead, but I understand Niall and I do it for him. It is just the two of us. Harry and Niall, Niall and Harry. We have no other people in our lives. He has no friends, I have no friends. Not even a boyfriend. Just my intern Louis and sometimes I am happy I can leave him behind, but he has been great with Niall whenever I couldn't handle the situation. Thankfully Niall looks nothing like my sister but more like of the many men my sister had a one night stand with. Nobody knows who Niall's dad is, not even my sister, well that is what she said, but the little boy has this thick Irish accent, so I'm pretty sure she had some idea. 

Anyway, it's time for me to wake up Niall and get this show on the road. Dread fills my heart, but it has to be done. No matter how much I don't feel like being a dad, today I'm taking the part on me, not just uncle Hazza, but dad... If that's what Niall wants it's what shall happen. That boy deserves the best in his life and even though I'm not sure, I'm the best person to raise him, he chose me. We only have each other now and we will work things out. It's not going to be easy on him though, cause I'm making sure he will never turn in his mother. Niall is going to have to work hard in school, he will help around the house and listen to my rules. I have been going easy on him, but he has had a year to get used to the different situation he's been in, so that should be enough. Also, none of his childish games in the house. Defeating dragons, knights in shining armour... No, he will learn that it doesn't exist. Sure it might be hard, but the sooner Niall learns that fairly tales aren't real the better he will handle reality and disappointment. 

Both of us are standing in the garden, Niall carrying this little shoe box filled with the little things he still has from his mum. Burying them in the ground will be his way of burying his mother. He only wants to keep two things from her, one is a necklace with two tiny little feet that has his name and birth date engraved in them, the second is a picture of his mum and him at his first birthday. They are both smiling wide at each other, somehow that seems so far away. It was also the last year Gemma was there for him properly, was a dedicated mum. Things only went downhill from there and... Well here we are, burying the memory of my sister. I know that I should be sad or relieved or anything really for finally giving her son closure, but the only emotion I feel is rage. Never will I be able to understand how she could just walk away from this blond, little angel and all for bad boyfriends and wanting to be young again, partying every night and having a hangover the next day. How is that life better than having your own son? True, I never wanted to become a dad, my career is far too important for that, but with all this going on, Niall will become my priority. I will give him everything he never had before and he isn't even my own flesh and blood. If I can be a father, I'm pretty sure she could be a mum if only she tried. 

Niall puts the little box in the hole we made before and throws a white flower on top of it. I copy his movements and look at the smaller boy. He just stands there, tears rolling over his cheeks, a slight pout on his red lips, he then takes the shovel and closes the hole with some dirt. Before he can turn around and act like this didn't happen, I grab him close to me and hug him. He tucks his head on my shoulder, arms around my neck and sobs quietly. After a while we walk back into the house and I start dinner, as usual Niall is helping me out. 

The next few days Niall is still very silent, very distant and very sad, but he doesn't feel like talking about it. At work my mind often finds it way back to the young boy who is learning a bunch of new things at school. Louis tells me that it is completely normal for Niall to grief and shut himself down a bit. Knowing that Lou has some experience with little kids, cause he has four younger sisters, I trust his judgment. Still, with everything the boy has gone through, I can't stop but wonder whether something is seriously wrong. What is he is traumatized or what if he has autism or something... I don't know anything about that, I barely know how to help Niall with his homework or how to make his favourite dinner. 

The worry only increases when Niall's teacher tells me that Niall talks a lot about Michael, yet no one in his class is named that way. So now he got both his teacher and myself worrying over him. When Niall walks out of the school he catches my eye and waves at me, carrying this big smile on his face. 

"Hey Ni, how was school?"  
"The usual, uncle Haz. Is it okay that I call you uncle Haz for a while even though you now are my dad?"  
"Call me whatever you want kiddo."  
"Thanks uncle Haz! You are the best!"  
"Hey Niall, can I ask you something?"  
"Sure", the little boy's eyes grow twice in size and the innocent look shows me that he isn't expecting the next question.  
"Who is Michael?"  
"No one, uncle Haz."

He then runs towards the car and giggles, while whispering: "It's our little secret right, Mike?"


	2. Chapter 2

*Niall's POV*

Doing the funeral for mum isn't easy on me, but I'm glad I don't have to go through it alone though. Uncle Haz is the best replacement dad I could ever ask for. He is sweet and lovely and caring. Living without my mum for a year I learned that you are nobody till somebody loves you. Nobody really loves me but Uncle Haz. People tend to look at me like I'm some sort of street rat, like whenever they come close to me I'll give them some illness... So thanks to Uncle Haz and him being there for me whenever I need him, I'm someone, I'm me. The only bad thing about Uncle Haz is that I'm not allowed to play fun games, also he doesn't want me to play games on the computer, cause they are too violent and according to him elves and dragons don't exist. Did he ever see Harry Potter or Percy Jackson? No way anyone just made that up! Somewhere in this world a place like Hogwarts or Camp Half blood exists and I belong up there. I just know! 

For now I'm doing the things Uncle Haz wants me to do, like helping him out around the house and the cooking, finding an instrument I want to play. Honestly he has already given me a few choices, none of them really excite me though. I told him that I'd like to play the guitar or the drums, cause I want to be a rock star. Worst mistake ever! Being a rock star is not a good enough job, cause the environment they are in is bad bad bad... Drugs, alcohol. Honestly I have no clue what drugs are and I don't want to go to the pub, I just want to make good music and doing knee slides and crowd surfing... That'd be wicked. 

Sure, Uncle Haz is just being protective of me, but I think he is forgetting the fact that I have seen my mum more drunk than sober. I have given my mum pain killers and water and helped her rubbing her back and holding her hair in a ponytail when she threw up. Well, no, he doesn't know about that. It's just not fun talking about it I guess. Living here for a year now, has been the best. My life is about me now and growing up and preparing for the grown up life, not about my mum and cleaning the house that was littered with cigarettes, beer bottles, these long, transparent rubber thingies that smelled awful and had something yukkie in it. Whenever I asked my mum what it was, she said it were some sort of balloons filled with whipped cream. First off, why would you fill a balloon with cream and second, I'm pretty sure it was already bad and shouldn't be used anymore. 

 

Anyways, standing here in the garden next to Uncle Haz, makes me want to scream and go frantic and just throw myself overly dramatic on the ground and pound into it with my fists. Knowing that he would not approve of that behaviour, cause he is a bit boring in my opinion, I try to keep it all in and go for the occasional sniffing and a few tears rolling over my cheek. Doing this feels right though, putting away the box, throwing the flower on it... It's like putting all the bad memories to rest one by one. It's time for me to stop hoping that my mum will return and that we will become a happy family... I have to face reality, that's what Uncle Haz teaches me...

The day goes by rather quickly thanks to helping with cooking dinner and doing my homework afterwards. I kind of like the rule of me doing all my homework on Saturday. Cause normally I go with Uncle Haz to his work and while he is working, I'm working, we go home afterwards, cook food and then I have the entire evening and the next day off to do as I please. Today Uncle Haz took half a day off of work to do this for me and no matter how much I enjoy his company I feel like being on my own, going over the event in my head. 

So sitting outside I take in the bit of sun that autumn still has to offer. The beanie goes further over my head and the ends of my scarf are tucked into my coat to give me more warmth. I'm sitting on the ground, watching all the different coloured leaves, thinking about all the things I can do with them when a crunching noise distracts me from my thoughts.

"Hi, you seem lonely sitting here on your own. Can I join you?"

This boy is standing in front of me. He's wearing a jeans jacket with a white t-shirt underneath, the beanie on his head is as dark as his hair, which makes his head twice as big, but he still looks cool. 

"Euhm, I'm not sure."  
"Why is that then?"  
"Uncle Haz told me to not talk to people I have never met before."  
"Your Uncle Haz is very clever and he is right."  
"How about I stay here, 10 feet away from you and you ask me some questions. That way you get to know me and I might be able to come closer."  
"Okay, I don't think that can really hurt ", I ponder out loud and look at the boy standing in front of me, "What is your name?"  
"My name is Michael, but my friends call me Mike or Mikey."  
"Michael... Okay, euhm, tell me 5 things about yourself."  
"Number 1 is that I like to play the guitar, the second thing about myself is that I also love to sing, the third fact is that I love to colour my hair all the time. I'm out of ideas now, so you might get to decide the next colour", he is looking at the three fingers he is holding up and adds a another one, " I also have an unhealthy obsession with My Little Pony and last but not least my favourite dance move is 'The Sprinkler', but I'll show you that another time."  
"Those are very random", I look at him and smile softly. It has been a while since anyone spoke to me or even tried to be my friend, so this is nice.

"Is it too much for me to ask what your name is?"  
"Oh, no of course not. I'm Niall, but my friends call me Ni."  
"Well, hello Niall. Do you want to know more about me?"  
"Yes please."  
"Like what?"  
"Can you teach me how to play the guitar? I've always want to learn it, but Uncle Haz says it will only bring extra trouble in my life", I sigh, I shouldn't have said that, "you know what, forget about that. I shouldn't have said anything."  
"Why not? It is not a bad thing to say Niall."  
"But it is... Uncle Haz is giving his life up for me. He never asked for me and yet he took me in and I'm bad mouthing him."  
"That is the last thing you did Niall, you just don't agree with your uncle's decision. That's very different from making him look like the bad guy. I could teach you though, if you still want me to", a small smile forms on Michael's lips, but I'm still not sure.  
"How about we become friends first and when you feel ready for it I'll teach you how to play the guitar. You don't have to tell your uncle, it'll be our secret."  
"You would do that for me?"  
"Yes, I would. Friends help each other out right?"  
"Yup!"  
"So how about 5 things that describe you Niall?"  
"Ow, euhm, I'm living with Uncle Haz cause my mum doesn't want me anymore. That's the first fact I guess. The second is that I am becoming a very good cook, that is if I don't eat all the food first before it is actually cooked. I like pretending that the floor is made out of lava and I cannot touch the ground, so I have to jump from couch to couch and climb on the closets and all, but Uncle Haz doesn't like that game much. Number four is that I like defeating dragons and help save the world with the help of elves and dwarves, I'm just not allowed to play it and the fifth fact about me is that I would love to become famous and have loads of money to help other people who have a bit of bad luck in their lives, just like me. So know you now, I'm boring. If you want to you can leave now."  
"You don't have a boring life. Niall, all I heard was lava, dragons, elves, dwarves, becoming famous and food. That's not so bad if you ask me. You have to understand though, your Uncle Hazza has never been a dad before and has a busy life. Also, he wants what is best for you, even though it may not always be the best thing in your eyes."  
"You are very smart Michael."  
"Why thank you buddy."  
"I have a proposition for you."  
"A what?"  
"Let's make a deal."  
"Ow, I understand that!", I do a happy dance and squeal, not like a girl, cause girls are stupid and I am a boy.   
"When you are with your uncle you do as he says, cause he knows what is best for you. If you get bored though, you go to your room and we'll play everything you want to play. We have to become ninja's though, cause your Uncle Haz can never find out about us playing those games. It's not going to be easy little Niall, but you are brave, I think we can take the risk of sneaking out and doing whatever we want to do. So how about we make this cool Ninja-Oath now to make it official?"

After the handshake I look up at Michael and realize that I don't want him to leave, not at all. He is a bit like the big brother I never had. Michael is cool, funny and wants to play all the time. Can it get any better than that? I think not! 

"Michael?"  
"Yes?"  
"Now that we know more of each other... Are you my friend now?"  
"I think it was clear after that awesome Ninja Oath we did."  
"Right. Can I call you Mike then?"  
"I'd love too."  
"Cool! Then you can call me Ni! It's so much easier than Niall and to be fair I don't really like my name, cause my mum gave it to be for some reason that I don't know about, but it is hard to say and everyone thinks my name is Nail and it is not and people don't listen to me and I just need proper friends who can say my name right", suddenly my eyes go big and I slap my hand in front of my mouth. With all this rambling I'm probably scaring Michael away...  
"Why did you stop talking Ni?"  
"Well, cause I was rambling and Uncle Haz says that I cannot do that. It's not polite."  
"Right. It's not that bad Ni, seriously. Anyways, how about we sneak into your room and I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."  
"But it's not even that late Mike!", I try the puppy eyes on him, but just like Uncle Haz he can handle them. Sad times.   
"You have school tomorrow Ni, but I promise that after school I'll meet you back here and we will play some more. The both of us will play any game you like."  
"Promise?"  
"I will even pinkie promise it Ni."  
"What!? Are you sure?! Pinkie promises are... WOW! If you break them then..."  
"I know, they are like the unbreakable vow in Harry Potter Ni."  
"You are the bestest person in the whole wide world Mike! WOW! Uncle Haz tells me it is childish to believe in pinkie promises."  
"You have to understand him Niall, he is an adult. Most of them forget what it is it like to be young and have fun, but for now we have another adventure that awaits us. Let's go past LavaLand and get you to bed."

It really is a challenge sneaking past Uncle Haz, who is cleaning up the kitchen and walking around collecting some of my toys. Both of us take a few pillows with us to drop on the floor so that we don't step in the lava. A gasp comes from behind me and I see Mike losing his balance, I don't know what to do, all I know is that he can't fall... I can't lose him like everyone else, so I jump from pillow to pillow and grab him by the arm right before he falls down. He smiles gratefully at me and we walk as silently as we can across the living room. When we arrive at the stairs we take the pillows with us and make our way to my room tiptoeing on the stairs and through the hallway. Mission accomplished. Mike and I give a high five and smile wide at each other. How did I only meet him today? 

"Come on, you go change and brush your teeth and I'll make sure your bed is warm when you get back here."

So that's what I did. Rushing to the bathroom, I clean myself up, put on my plain blue pyjama's cause Uncle Haz thinks my Star Wars pyjama's aren't cool, open the door and walk back to Michael. 

"Hey bud, I noticed we still have all the pillows here, are you helping me putting them back in the same spot?"  
"Sure, but then we have to go back down the stairs..."  
"What? no we don't."

So both of us grab three pillows, walk out of my room and stand at the top of the stairs. Looking down, we see that the couch is right underneath us, so when Uncle Haz isn't paying attention to his surroundings we drop a pillow, holding our hearts every time the pillow lands with a thud. 

Not much later I was back in bed, with Michael sitting at my feet.

"Mike, can you tell me a story?"  
"Sure, which one?"  
"Why you came up and talked to me?"

He smiles and and puts his back against the wall, making himself more comfortable. 

"Okay, here it goes. I was walking in the neighbourhood, trying to find my way back to my new place, cause I only recently moved here. Obviously I was failing badly and I saw this boy sitting on the grass, looking at the leaves, being all bored. So I thought, if he's bored and I'm bored, maybe we can be bored together, or maybe we can figure out something to play. The thing is Niall, I moved to town for you. People told me you were not living your life like any eight year old should and..."

No matter how much I was trying to listen to the rest of Mike's story, my eyes closed and I was finding new adventures in my dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

*Michael's POV*

Putting my beanie over my head and putting on my jacket, I open the door and continue my walk. It's the first time in a few weeks I've been given a new job. My last case was very successful and it still brings a big smile on my face whenever I think about it. This is the kind of work I've always wanted to do. Our kind don't have that many options since we all do the same job, but we have a choice... For some it is the most difficult they have to make, for others, it isn't. 

 

The thing is though, I have been waiting for a new job for so long. I've been seriously bored, let me tell you that. In the mean time the others were pretending to work, discussing the new case I would get, but all they have done is given every single job to someone else. Apparently none of the other jobs were challenging enough for me. 

It's an honour knowing that they think I can handle the difficult cases, but sometimes an easy one would be just as nice. Ah well, just a happy ending every time is the thing that keeps me going. I've been doing this for two years now and I have had 5 cases, all of them ended well.

Others weren't so lucky... Their cases ended up dead, or seriously ill or they grew up. When that happens our job is done and others take over. It sounds bad, but it is the circle of life. All of us have our jobs to fulfil and if we have to end it, or others end it for us we start all over again. 

It's our monthly meeting and I'm glad about that! I have missed my mates. All of us have the same job, yet it is different and all of us have to get together to talk about it.

All of us are Ashton, Luke, Calum and I, oh and our boss Mr. Cowell. Ashton is just like me, our preference has always been working with children, Calum works with people who are ill and Luke spends his time with the elderly. There are other units, all of them consisting out of four people and a boss, but none of them have such a success rate as us.

"So guys, now that you had the chance to catch up...", Simon is looking sternly round the room and silence falls upon us, "how is everyone's case going? Let's start this off with Ashton."

"Firstly, I told you to call me Ash, Ashton is too long and now I sound like that Pokémon trainer. Believe me, it might sound stupid, but it makes me more popular with the kids", he smirks and winks at Simon, who is anything but impressed and rolls his eyes.  
"Whatever mate, just fill us in, we don't have all day."  
"Fine, fine, grumpy pants. August, is doing fine. He is a 4 year old boy who has grown up in a very violent family and is now put in an orphanage. I'm the only one who is allowed to call him Gus and I'm also the only person he talks to. When I'm not there, the only thing he does is sitting in front of the window with his head in his hands and staring into the distance, not really looking at anything. Recently though, when I'm around he starts colouring, or looking at the pictures in books and he tells me all about his dreams of going into space and becoming an astronaut. So for now I'm connecting with him through that. He is seeing me more often now, I don't necessarily have to show myself to him. Whenever he actually pays attention to his surroundings, he notices me."  
"Very good Ash! Keep it up and you can actually have a long term friendship with the boy", Ash nods and smiles. All of us can already see that he adores the little boy and that he is going to stick around for a long time, not having to say goodbye after a few months.   
"Calum, how about you?"  
"I'm not sure about my client. She is 5 and has been in hospital for about four months with cancer. Every day I'm becoming clearer to her which means that she is getting more ill."  
"What's her name?"  
"Oh, yeah, it's Brittney. She is this amazing child with the most beautiful smile and she likes listening to this band called Emblem 3. Whenever their music is on she starts singing along and dancing in her little bed until she is so out of energy that she just falls asleep on the spot. The days that she is too weak to muster up any energy are mostly the days she has to go through chemo, yet she always goes through them with a smile and afterwards she tells me the entire adventure she went through beating the chemo, some days the stories have vampires in them, other days wizards and other days it's characters who sing almost every line in their conversation. She has so much imagination, once we even had a conversation about how she wanted to help out everyone that was as ill as her. Did you know that the days where she can't eat cause she is so nauseous she wants to give her food to the poor people? It's so nice spending more time with her, cause she makes me smile so hard, but I'm afraid of her seeing me every day for the entire 24 hours. I mean, yeah, this is life, but I come from this case where the guy was already 54. It's bad that he died and 54 is way too early, but 5... She hasn't even had a life yet, no boyfriend, no children, she hasn't seen the world and she has no chance to change it. On the other hand I would hate for her to not see me anymore. This is the best case I've had so far."  
"Calum, you can tell me if this case is too hard on you, we can give it to someone in another unit. It's okay."  
"No, no, I'm keeping this case. Brittany trusts me and we keep each other happy. Yes, I'm going to be upset if she dies and I'm probably going to take a break after that, but for some reason I want to fight for the friendship we have, maybe she will get better because of it. I'd rather sneak into her room and knowing that she is happy, than being visible for her all the time and ending up at her funeral."

"Luke, how is your case going?"  
"Well, my case is going really well. It's not going to be a long case, then again I never get them... That's what you get for working with old people I guess, but this is a funny case. Mostly I get jobs with people who are afraid of death and just go frantic all the time or have no clue how to tell their families about their fear or when they have no family left, I help them get through it. This one though has a very loving family and isn't afraid of dying, he is actually looking forward to it, but it feels like he just needed someone to tell his story to one last time. It's the cutest story ever though, about him falling head over heels and the girl making him work for it. He was spending all his money on her, cause having a rich family, it was easy, but she kept refusing him until he was so desperate that he started writing poems and songs and brought her flowers he picked himself from this massive field and took her stargazing. They were together for about 25 years when he lost her and now he just wants to go back to his wife, after being alone for 12 long years. He misses her so much and is reaching out for her. Seriously, there is nothing more beautiful in life than seeing the look on his face, seeing the love for his wife, even after all that time." A soft smile forms on his face and I so want to call him a softy, but I decide against it. It's not easily that Luke gets attached to one of his clients and it is nice to see him smile. He needs to smile some more, sure his serious face still makes him good looking, but with a smile he is dashing. Not that I would ever admit that, cause then he goes bragging about it and he might think I have a crush on him. No thank you! He is way too serious for me, he should live a little, but then again, that's probably why he likes working with old people.

"Now Michael, how has your time off been?"  
"It was rather boring, so I was really happy to receive the call about a new case."  
"Are you up for it?"  
"Aren't I always?"  
"Fine fine, so your case is going to be an 8 year old boy, who is living with his uncle. I know, it doesn't seem like the kid needs help, but he does. He has grown up with a mother who didn't really care about her son. She let him stay at home all on his own so she could go partying, getting drunk and have various lovers. A year ago she left him at her brother's who could definitely be a good dad, but is just inexperienced and way too grown up. The uncle is only 21 himself and already has a business of his own. So having that much responsibility in life and seeing his sister lose herself like that, the young man is turning into this old soul in a young body. Being responsible and working hard are the two things he is teaching the young boy who is living with him. Whenever the child wants to play fantasy games or pretends the floor is made out of lava, his uncle tells him off."  
"So with other words, the young boy isn't allowed to be a child anymore?"  
"Yes, that is the entire problem."  
"It's always that isn't it, kids aren't allowed to play anymore, or to do naughty things or live in their own imaginative world. It's such a shame. I'll go visit that little boy, he will play in no time."  
"Also, and this is important. This boy has a massive case of separation anxiety and he has a low self esteem, so keep that in mind."  
I nod, but before I have the time to let all this information sink in, Mr. Cowell, starts talking again.  
"There is also a second part of the job Mike."  
"What?"  
"Yes, I want you to focus on the uncle as well, you don't necessarily have to show yourself to him, but I want you to make him relive his past again, the one where he was a playful child himself. Make him become this guy who doesn't take himself too seriously, learn him how to have fun again, show him the good side of becoming a parent."  
"Damn! How am I going to do that... But yeah, fine... I'll go for it. It's something different for a change, but my main focus stays the boy. Deal?"  
"Deal. The meeting is over boys", we all smile at each other, hug and say our goodbyes. 

The autumn air attacks my face and I absentmindedly put my beanie on my head again. I'm glad I can hide the awful brown colour of my hair, seriously, I need to dye it again really soon. I was tired of the green, but maybe now I can go for white or pink or blue... Maybe I can let the new kid decide. 

Leaves fall down around me and birds fly by, looking for the last bit of food until winter strikes. It's so peaceful and calm, all those colours around me. I notice I'm in the street I need to be in and look around for number 9. The house pops up but not because of the plain, grey number on the wall, but because of this small, bored looking boy sitting in the grass, looking at different leaves, the wonder and excitements becomes visible on his face not much later, but disappears right away and he goes back to being his bored self. 

Walking up to the boy, I see him turning his head in my direction. He is reserved and that's a good thing. These days you have to be careful around strangers, so I'm glad that he is. 

"Hi, you seem lonely sitting here on your own. Can I join you?", I ask him. It's clear that he didn't expect my question. 

"Euhm, I'm not sure."  
"Why is that then?"  
"Uncle Haz told me to not talk to people I have never met before."  
"Your Uncle Haz is very clever and he is right."  
"How about I stay here, 10 feet away from you and you ask me some questions. That way you get to know me and I might be able to come closer."  
"Okay, I don't think that can really hurt though", I ponder out loud and look at the boy standing in front of me, "What is your name?"  
"My name is Michael, but my friends call me Mike or Mikey."  
"Michael... Okay, euhm, tell me 5 things about yourself."

Talking to him is easy, seeing all the wonder and excitement on his face, even though it vanishes almost immediately, will make this worth my while.


	4. Chapter 4

*Harry's POV*

"Uncle Haz! Don't forget to set a plate for Mike please?"  
"Niall, you know what I think about setting a plate for someone who doesn't exist."  
"But he does Uncle Haz, I'm not lying! I'm not a bad boy! Mike is real! I told you."  
"Ni, do you really think I believe the fact that you can only see him cause you didn't grown up? This isn't Peter Pan mate... And for the record, he isn't real either."

Suddenly Niall goes all quiet, a sad and disappointed look in his eyes, puts his fingers in his ears and starts shaking his head frantically. Before I can go up to him and tell him it is for the best, the little blond boy walks out of the kitchen, chanting: "I can't hear you, I can't hear you, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!"  
His little feet bang on the stairs and his door closes with a lot of noise. Yes... Niall is disappointed, but it is for the best. All these fantasies will make him believe in miracles and magic... Sure, as a kid I believed in it myself and more than once I wished upon a falling star for a happy life, no bullying, my mum coming back from the dead for just one more day... It never happened. It's all rubbish. The less expectations Niall has in life, the less he will be put down. 

The thing is though, he has me worried sick! Telling me he is seeing this Mike dude, who is my age, he makes him laugh and excepts him the way he is... As if I don't do that! Pssshhhh!   
Still, why would he see a dude my age, with apparently various vibrant hair colours... If he saw a lawyer or a politician or maybe even a teacher fine, but not someone who is teaching him to be living in this fantasy world. Seriously though, what is happening to Niall. Is it cause he is traumatized, schizophrenic, cause his brain isn't function well, a brain tumour?! I am freaking out and the sooner that figment of his imagination leaves his brain, the better I'll feel. 

Niall keeps telling me nothing is wrong and that Michael is just telling him jokes and learning him new games... That I will be able to see him if I just become young again in my heart. Seriously, I'm 21, what does he think I am, some ancient, mummified skeleton? Being 21 isn't that old, I'm just responsible. If I don't behave like a grown up who knows where Niall will end up? I mean, his mum left him, his grandmother died when I was a young boy and my dad left us when Gemma and I were old enough to live on our own. Saying he couldn't stay with the people that reminded him of his dead wife. So I had to grow up when I was 14. Did I like it? No, obviously not, but by growing up so fast I knew what I wanted in life. Working hard and being mature helped me with that and look at me now: Being the youngest architect in the city, having the most clients, the most defined jobs, I earn a lot of money, have a big house and one day I'll travel the world! I don't have to worry about not having food, about an annoying boss who hates on you, about not having a roof over my head or having no decent clothing. Not having a boyfriend or friends is a small price to pay for a nearly perfect life. If I can make sure that Niall's future is as bright as mine I know I will have succeeded as a parent. He doesn't get that I want the best for him, but I can't blame him, he is young. Life is too hard to understand, certainly at his age. 

Anyway pondering won't do me any good and it is almost time for dinner, so I'll just get Niall back to the kitchen and ask him about school. He is doing good so far, the only subject he is failing is maths, so we should practice some more, starting tonight. Let's just hope that he doesn't start throwing a fit about it, cause I'm not in the mood. 

Arriving at his bedroom door I hear sniffles and light talking. 

"He doesn't believe me Mike... He will never believe me. Can you not show yourself to him? Please?"  
"If you show yourself, he won't think I'm nuts. Mike, I don't want to go to the doctor's and do all these tests."  
"Uncle Haz is never going to love me for who I am."

Opening his door I see him sitting at the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. Tears are rolling over his cheeks and he is shaking slightly... Guilt fills my entire being and I just want to make him smile again. 

"Hey Ni, are you and Michael coming to dinner? I'll put a plate up for Michael next to yours. I'll be expecting the both of you in about 5 minutes."

The door opens almost immediately and the blond boy attacks me into a hug.

"Thank you Uncle Haz! You are the bestest Uncle ever. Mike says he is really happy about this."  
"Well, I'm happy about that, but Ni, you should know by now that bestest is not a word."  
"Yes Uncle Haz, I won't say it again", he turns around and smiles brightly towards the doorway of his room, "Come on Mike, I'll race you! The last one in the kitchen is a chicken."

Before I can tell Niall that he isn't supposed to run in the house he disappears out of my sight, his chuckle telling me where he is. I sigh and walk downstairs, I look forward to the day that he calms down and realizes what is good for him. 

Niall has been chattering through out dinner and it drives me insane. Just the notion of his school got him going on about it for 20 minutes non stop. Normally dinners are quiet, we talk about five minutes and then focus on our chewing and that is perfectly fine, but now... I rub my temples and try to not snap at him. Thankfully he doesn't forget to clean the table or to do his homework. I give him some extra math homework while doing the dishes. I focus myself on my task instead of Niall's grumbling and complaining to his own imagination, cause no way that Mike person is real... If he were, he would have at least eaten something, but he didn't. 

After his homework Niall goes to the living room where he loudly starts cackling about something funny, I don't even want to know what is going on! 

"Niall, can you please be quiet. It's 7pm, that's not a time to be loud anymore!"

Thankfully it grows quiet and I can focus myself on the many thoughts that are filling my head. Not much later a thump and muffled laughter makes me drop the plate I'm holding. I walk to the living room, being in a lousy mood already and see Niall wrestling with this long pillow.

"Look Mike! I'm wrestling with a crocodile and I'm winning!" 

The sad and scared look on Niall's face when I take the pillow from him tells me that he knows he is in trouble.

"Niall, stop behaving like a toddler for god sake! You aren't Indiana Jones, who by the way doesn't exist either!"  
"But, but, but... all the movies Uncle Haz."  
"THOSE ARE JUST FREAKING MOVIES NIALL! IT IS NOT REAL!"

I help him up from the floor and hold him tight, looking him straight in the eyes. 

"Come on Ni, stop crying, you know that big boys don't cry right. So wipe away those tears and go do something useful. It's stupid to wrestle with crocodiles since our floor isn't made out of water. This is a floor in a house Niall, not a swamp, or a river."

I let go of him and turn around, because thanks to Niall I have a floor to clean and broken shards to throw away. The water on the floor is cleaned up, so it's time for me to gather all the pieces of the plate and throw them away. I reach for the dustpan in the cupboard when I notice that both my feet are getting wet. Looking around I try to find water I might have missed before, while cleaning up, but notice that the entire kitchen floor is wet. 

Making my way out of the kitchen, I notice that the living room is also filled with water... Pillows are floating around, the water now reaching my ankles... I have no clue what is going on, but I'm going mental! I have to replace the rug, make sure the coffee table is still fine with all the water sloshing against it... Wait, hold up, sloshing?!

"Mike, look, now I'm really fighting a crocodile! Uncle Haz was wrong, I am Indiana Jones."  
"You said yourself that I should play more, so that's what I did."  
"Hey, I'm not growing old and boring like Uncle Haz... I refuse too."  
"True, water is good for plants and flowers, but is also fun to play in."  
"You are right Mike, it might not be the best idea, but it is the most fun! Besides Uncle Haz is supposed to be the buzz kill, not you."

That's when I saw what I didn't want to see... Water pouring out of our garden hose, with Niall fighting the big pillow I took away from him earlier... Glee all over his face... Hair sticking in all different directions, clothes dripping wet...

"NIALL JAMES HORAN, What the hell have you been doing? Do you know how much money it is going to cost to replace my expensive rug, maybe even the table, all the pillows you have ruined... Not to mention the water bill... WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DO AS I ASK! I AM THE ADULT! I KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU! YOU ARE GOING TO YOUR ROOM AND YOU ARE GOING TO WRITE DOWN IN AT LEAST TWO PAGES WHAT YOU DID WRONG! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GET OUT OF THAT ROOM UNTIL I TELL YOU TO!"

Niall's shocked eyes look up at me and fill themselves quickly with tears. I know I shouldn't have yelled, but this behaviour is just not acceptable! Instead of letting it go now... I decide to make it even worse... Sigh... 

"Also! If I hear the name Michael one more time, I will take you to the doctor's for a full examination. You will kick that dude out of your life, once and for all. Ever since you started seeing him, you changed. You are becoming more and more like your mother each day. He is the worst influence ever. You stop seeing him right now!"

He looks up to me, tears streaming over his face, rage in his eyes.

"I hate you Harry, I hate you!"

Yep, now I've done it. I slump down against the wall, gliding slowly to the floor, for once not caring that I am soaking wet now.


	5. Chapter 5

*Niall's POV*

It's been three days since I flooded the living room with water and Uncle Haz still hasn't spoken to me. The only thing he does is following me everywhere to see what I'm doing. I don't really dare to move now, so the only thing I do is helping with dinner, eating in silence, doing my homework, my extra math work and going to bed. I haven't seen Mike anymore... Maybe he is mad at me for sending him away, I don't know, but I decided to grow up. 

Seeing Uncle Haz that mad and desperate... No, I can't handle that... He is the only one I have left, the only one who wants to take care of me and I don't want him abandoning me... I'll find another friend later, who needs Mike right?!

Who am I even kidding, I need Mike... I need him a lot, but I can't. Not as long as he can't show himself to Uncle Haz. I won't go to the doctor's, I won't do it... But I miss Michael so much. He is like the big brother I never had. He believes in me, the real me, the young kid, with loads of fantasy and the sad background trying to find a balance between being serious and playful, trying to find the right path to follow in life. 

I know big boys don't cry, but I have been crying myself to sleep for the past two nights. Yes, I've been bad and I deserved the punishment, but the foul look in Uncle Haz' eyes and Mike missing... I feel so empty, so alone and so confused. Somehow I know that I have to say sorry to my uncle, but I don't know how I should do that and on the other hand I need to find my Mike back. Unfortunately I can only have one... I will either have to choose between the only family I have left or the only friend I ever had... Not sure how many times a heart can break, but it has been doing that non stop for the past three days. 

I'm at Uncle Haz' work, sitting in an empty room at an old wooden desk doing my homework. This is probably the most boring place I have ever been in, yet I'm still procrastinating my homework. Normally Mike would be sitting next to me, he would help me out, explain the things I don't get... Being him around him made me smarter, being without him makes me stupid... Even more stupid than I was before. 

Uncle Haz' voice becomes harder, it's laced with impatience .

"Louis, it is not that hard to understand. My cousin is going mental... It's not normal to see a guy, nor is it normal that the guy is around my age or that I cannot see him. What is he? A pervert, a rapist, a figment of his imagination, a dream... Seriously, I need to get him looked at Lou!"

I could practically hear him roll his eyes and throw his hands in the air. 

"Harry, look, you are my boss and I know I have to respectful, but shut up. Have you ever thought about another option? Maybe Michael is a figment of Niall's imagination, think about it... It could be more than a tumour or him being schizophrenic. Answer these questions okay? When did Michael appeared for the first time in Ni's life. Well the first time you are aware of?"  
"Euhm, a few days after we kept the 'funeral'."  
"Okay, what is this Mike doing with Niall?"  
"He is playing this freaking games with him, games that he shouldn't be playing..."   
"Right, whatever... What reason did Niall give for you not being able to see his friend."  
"That I just had to become young at heart again... But that's got nothing to do with this."  
"Yes, it does..."  
"No it doesn't, Niall is just young, making stupid mistakes. Besides it's not Michael telling him these things, it's his own mind. He acts like a two year old Lou!"  
"He isn't, djeez, just shut up and listen to me! This Michael guy is doing everything that you aren't doing! He is playing games with Niall, telling him that it is okay to be young and have fun and use your imagination. You also told me that Niall's grades are getting better, but you aren't helping him with his homework, cause you use that time to do some housework. You told me that yourself... So it is actually Michael helping him. Michael is being a brother, a friend, a roll model Ni is missing, cause you are too busy controlling his life! Look Harry, I get it... it's hard on you... You don't want him to make bad mistakes that can ruin his future, you want to give him all the chances you never got, but you can't. The only thing you can help Ni with is being young and teaching him things through games and fun times... Being there when he needs you, when he did something stupid or when he has questions or when he just wants a hug."  
"I don't know how to do that Lou. It's been at least 7 or 8 years since someone hugged me or told me they needed me or just were there for me. I only know growing up fast and doing what is right. Damn, I'm such a lousy guardian."  
" You aren't Harry, you are also young and not ready to be a dad yet and that's okay. That is the reason though that Niall created his own friend, his own perfect person. He isn't going mental... He just has an imaginative friend and that is alright. It doesn't make you a failure Harry, so many kids have them in their life. I had one as well when I was younger, his name was Ashton. God, he was funny and sarcastic and showed me what was good and bad. Look, I don't know what Niall means with, "you can see him too if you become young again", but talk to him about him, don't judge him, be there for him. Start small, he'll appreciate it."  
"Imaginative friends?"  
"Yup, it's a thing. Not lying! Scouts honour... Well, I never did scouts, but 'cross my heart, hope to die', is not my thing..."  
"Thanks Lou, I'll inform myself about that topic and I'll try to fix things with Ni after work. I do miss his bubbly laugh."

I have no clue what uncle Haz in on about. Imaginative friends... See, he really thinks I'm mental. Mike is real, he is as real as Uncle Haz, as Louis, as me... Oh, how I miss Mike. I mean, at least with him this office wouldn't be so boring and we might invent a game with all these spinning chairs after I did my homework. Can't have Uncle Haz mad at me again but it'd be fun though, racing through the hallway with these swivel chairs. I would so win.

"Hey Ni, what are we doing in this old room? It doesn't even help you focus on your studying... Also I'm bored, pretty sure you are too and this room only adds to it."

I turn around and see Mike standing at the window. This isn't right?! How did he... The door never opened... There were no footsteps... Who cares anyway!? MIKE IS BACK.

"Miiikkeee! You are back! Finally!", I grin at the boy, whose hair is now white.   
"What are you on about Ni?! I have been here the entire time, telling you to do your homework so we could play a game."  
"Mike, you really weren't here... I would have seen you."  
"Ni, I entered the building with you, I was literally one step behind you. You know full well that I don't go opening and closing doors when I'm around other people. I'm your secret, not your Uncle Haz', not Louis'."  
"Well, if you don't want to be their secret, than maybe you shouldn't be mine either...", I look at Mike with tears in my eyes, I hate to say those things to him but I cannot handle this anymore.  
"Ni? Why would you say that?"  
"It's not that hard to show yourself to him is it!? IT ISN'T THAT HARD MIKE! Everything would be okay if you did."  
"Right, this is not the Niall I know... I know for you about two weeks now and you never acted like this? Even the mature Niall wasn't insecure, wasn't desperate to be loved. What is going on."

I can't tell him, how Uncle Haz' thinks I'm going insane... Just saying it out loud makes it even more painful than it already is... I can't tell him.

"You wonder why I become insecure, why I want to know that I am loved... I don't know Mike, but when my best friend goes missing for three days without telling me anything, without giving me any reason..."  
"Ni, I was with you... Every single minute of every single day. I went to school with you, tried to make you do your homework even though you ignored me, but I thought you were mad at me for not playing along to your Indiana Jones game. I even sang you to sleep like I do every day... I have been here."  
"Then Uncle Haz is right and I'm going mental... What if I do have a brain tumour and I see you on days I'm getting worse... Damn, I have to go the doctor's and get a check up. What if I die?"  
"Ni, is this what it is all about? Your Uncle not believing you? You never cared about that."  
"I always cared about it, but I had you so I could focus myself on other things Mike! Do you actually think I don't care about my uncle calling me stupid and childish?!"  
"Niall, listen to me. I am an imaginary friend, but that doesn't mean that I am not real. You can touch me, you can hold me, I do live like you and I will die when I'm older, just like you. The only thing that makes me imaginary is that I only show myself to people who need me. Those people are still young, but have a bit of trouble of finding the fun things in life. They just don't know how to be young again and need a little help. That's okay though, it doesn't make you stupid. You saw me the first day we met, because you are young and you want to stay that way, you just don't know how because your Uncle Haz wants you to grow up. The only reason why your Uncle Haz can't see me is because he doesn't want to be young anymore, because he doesn't want to have fun. Also, he isn't as special and amazing as you are."  
"Do you mean that? I'm not going insane?"  
"Niall, you are just as sane as I am. There is nothing going on with your brain, it is not playing tricks on you. I am here. Do you get now, why I don't want to open doors or eat food with others around?"  
"Yeah I think I do..."  
"If they would see food disappear off a plate or a door opening without anyone entering or leaving, they might think they are complete nutters or that ghosts do exist. I promise you that if your Uncle Haz wants to see me, he will, I won't hide away."  
"Promise?"  
"Pinkie Promise."  
"OOOhhhh! You are the best friend in the whole wide world", I get up from the chair and attack him in a big hug,"So, I'm always going to be able to see you?"  
"Niall, you are the one who decides whether you can see me or not, whether you have to miss me, whether we can play and study together. I have nothing to do with it... It's all on you bud, I'm just here when you need me. We'll be friends for as long as you will have me", Mike smiles at me and nudges me back to the chair, "and now it is time for you to finish that homework of yours so we can play."

A soft smile ghosts over his face and his eyes twinkle. Seriously, I don't get that Uncle Haz can't see him... Michael is the best person to have around.

After an hour of homework and us still being in the office, not allowed to come out, we are bored out of our minds. So, us being two adventurous people we start looking around for things to do. Searching through the old desk we find a few things, like paintbrushes, some paint and glue... How are we going to use those things when we don't have paper...

"Hey Ni, how about we give these walls some colour?", Mike smiles mischievously.  
"No, we can't, Uncle Haz is going to kill me."  
"He isn't going to kill you, that's illegal."  
"Mike, don't laugh at that."  
"Where is the Niall that flooded a room?"  
"He is right here", I say, a lot of doubt clear in my voice.   
"Well, then were is your sense of adventure mate. Look, I know it isn't the best thing thing to do and you will probably be punished... I'm not going to lie, but you being stuck in this room without anything to do, that's not right either. If you Uncle Haz wants you to be good, then he needs to learn that boys don't like to be bored. Maybe, once he gets over the shock he might like it. We'll make something nice out of it Ni. A sunset over a field full of dandelions, birds and butterflies so colourful they make you happy filling the air."  
"And loads of clouds and dandelion seed being blown away. Can we do that Mike?"  
"Yes, let's do this." 

I don't know how long we were painting when the door opened. Panic surged through my entire body and I saw Mike's face filling with dread. 

"Niall? Harry wants to know how your homework is going, but he is too busy to check up on you himself, so here I am... Holy... What happened here?"  
"Euhm... I was bored?"  
"Niall, this is amazing... Wow! So pretty. Did you do this? If I knew you were this talented I would have allowed you to paint ever office in this building."  
"Wait what!? Shouldn't you be mad at me Louis?"  
"Pfrt, nope... When I was your age, I did things worse than this. So don't worry, I'll tell your uncle that you had my permission to do this, cause you were bored and this room could use some colour."  
"Thank you Louis!", I stand up from my sitting position ready to give him a hug, when he holds his hand up.  
"That is under one condition mate."  
"Which one?", I ask confused."  
"You have to answer my question, and you will be completely honest with me."  
"Sure, what do you want to know?"  
"Niall, who is that guy sitting next to you?"


	6. Chapter 6

*Michael's POV*

Today is the most frustrating day I can imagine. Day 3 of Niall either ignoring me or in the worst case, not being able to see me. I don't want to believe that at all... He can see me, he is just mad cause I told him not to flood the house... I hope... This is my case for two weeks and I'm already failing...If Niall can't see me for a week I'm off the case. It would be my first failed case, but that's not the worst thing, nope... I wouldn't be able to play with him anymore or get to know him better, I would have to miss him. Then again, I already miss him. 

I've tried everything, putting my hand on his shoulder, hugging him, begging for him to hear me, yelling, screaming even crying... Niall has been the most intriguing little boy and I messed it all up. Why couldn't I just tell him it was okay to flood the room, it would all be fine. I even went against my principles and walked near his uncle, just to see if he noticed me. Obviously he didn't. I want to blame him, so bad... But seeing the constant sadness in his eyes, I just can't. Somehow I know he suffered a lot as a kid and I wish I could take that away from him. What if I show myself to him, what if I befriend him... Then again, if he can't see me now, it means we would never be proper friends, no matter how hard I try... He needs to want it himself. 

Somehow, I want him to see me... Can you imagine how much fun the three of us could have? We could watch movies, all cuddled up together. Or we, Ni and I, could be pirates who just captured Harry, or... There are just too many options. That's not the only reason why I want him to see me. His eyes don't only show sadness, they also contain so much more, so much depth. It's like his entire past is in there. Also, I want him to look at me the way he looks at Ni, with adoration and love. I'm not sure why, but I'm pretty sure it would be an amazing thing to experience.

Before I know it though, I see Niall coming from the stairs with his schoolbag. He puts on his coat, his hat and wraps a scarf around his neck. I make it out of the door a second before Harry closes it. That was so close. Otherwise I had to open the door myself and Harry might have noticed. Maybe I should open the door though... No, Mike No, you can't help. Not just yet, maybe later. Yes, later. 

I walk close to Niall and start humming some random song. He turns his head, his eyes connecting with mine, but before I can actually be happy about him noticing me, he turns his head around and walks closer to his uncle. No smile, no recognition in his eyes, nothing... Yet again he didn't see me. Ugh, why is this even happening... Thankfully I can't think about it too long, cause they way Harry moves is captivating my entire being. Nobody ever walks as graceful as him and I have seen loads of people. 

Seriously, why am I thinking all these things... Drop Harry, focus on Niall... It's not that hard... Although Simon told me to pay attention to Harry... This is such a bad idea. 

When all of us arrive at Harry's job, we walk in the building and go straight to his office. He sends Niall of to this old room and I'm right behind him. Before Niall closes the door I take a last quick look at Harry and wonder why I'm drawn to him like this, why this hasn't happened before. This is all so foreign... Maybe it's because I also want to help him and I don't know where to start.

Hours pass slowly and the frustration I felt before is getting heavier... I never had that feeling of failure before, but now I feel like giving up. Maybe this was too hard for me, maybe Niall really is becoming mature, then there is nothing for me to do, no way to help him. 

I give it one last shot though, I have never been a quitter, so who knows, maybe this chance is the right one. Let's hope so. What can I do... Maybe try to tickle him, or ... God, this room just leaves me so uninspired...

"Seriously, how can I think in a place like this Ni, this is so... Nope this is not working for me, obviously it isn't for you either, since you can't still see me. I don't even see the use of four white walls, a smallish window, a desk and a chair... How boring can a place be... Djeez! Are they trying to kill me with awfulness, cause it's working. True, my ranting is not going to help me get you back, or to not be bored, but come on. Also I feel like I'm talking to a wall, this is incredibly annoying... If I'm louder, would you see me?"

I walk in front of Niall and pull silly faces, maybe that'll work... Nope not that either... Really why are we here. Sure, Harry works here, but this is no place for a young boy. Isn't there any other place Niall could go to? I mean, we have been here at the office, but at least Niall was allowed to stay in the main room where we can read or draw or play computer games in silence.

"Hey Ni, what are we doing in this old room? It doesn't even help you focus on your studying... Also I'm bored, pretty sure you are too and this room only adds to it."

Niall finally turns himself around and his head snaps up, him looking straight into my eyes, only this time he really sees me. We talk about how I have always been here, the past three days, following his every move and how I will be there for him for as long as he needs me. The thought of leaving him behind one day scares me so much. I've never felt this with a case, the feeling of being alone, unnecessary, replaceable. 

"Hey Ni, how about we give these walls some colour?", I ask, smirking at him, holding up the brushes and paint we found in the old desk. I expect him to jump into it right away, but I guess I'm wrong.

"No, we can't, Uncle Haz is going to kill me", he says, looking at me with his big, blue puppy eyes. Thankfully he agrees after a while of me trying to convince him. Both of us start working on this big field with dandelions, birds and butterflies fly around while the sun sets. It becomes really beautiful and both of us beam at each other. We continue our work in a comfortable silence. Not much later the door opens and Niall's face fills with panic. Both of knew that once his uncle would have figured out we painted the walls that Niall would get some sort of punishment, but we were hoping it would be finished by then and that Harry might actually like it, that he would reminisce about his past and the fun he had as a kid. 

I quickly dropped the brush I was holding, hoping no one saw the extra brush floating in the air for a few seconds. Thank God it was only Louis, who actually liked the wall painting and wanted to save Niall from his uncle's wrath.

"That is on one condition mate."

To be fair, I would have never anticipated the next question and for once I had no clue what to do. For once, I wanted Niall to help me, to save me.

"Niall, who is that guy sitting next to you?"

Both of our mouths fell open, our eyes bulging out of their sockets. What do we say now. Thankfully Niall spoke up, his stance filled with confidence.

"Louis, this is Michael", he smiles at Louis and then turns himself at me, " and he is the best friend I could have ever had."  
"Wait, isn't Michael the imaginary friend your uncle is freaking out about?"  
"Yup."  
"Well, if it helps, I had an imaginary friend once. Him leaving me was the saddest thing I ever went through, I was gutted... and I may or may not have cried. But, why can I see your friend, I mean no one could see mine."  
"You can see him cause you are still young in your heart Louis."  
"If I am then why did Ash say goodbye to me?"

Ash? As in Ashton? Really? 

"Euhm, Hi Louis, I hope this doesn't freak you out, but do you mean Ashton? As in Ashton Irwin, that Ash?", I ask carefully.  
"This isn't really odd, since I can actually see you and you look like a normal human being", he smiles the biggest, goofiest smile I have ever seen, "Yes, I mean that Ash. Do you know him?"  
"Yeah, I actually do, he is one of my best mates."  
"Wait, your best friends with an old dude."  
"What? Old dude? What are you talking about?"  
"Well, he was a teenager when I first met him and I was 6."  
"Oh that, we age in a different way Louis. Ashton is actually only 25."

"How is that possible?" he asks, his voice full of wonder.

"We just mature like you do, only whereas you are an adult here when you are 18, we are an adult at the age of 10. That is also the moment we start working. Obviously, when we are 10 years old, we look like you people at that age, yet we are grown up. Ashton started his first job 15 years ago, when you were around 6 years old, as you said yourself."  
"Yeah, that's correct, I was 6, nearly 7 when I met him the first time... But something isn't right in your story..."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Ashton was 17 or 18, how is that possible?"  
"We change our age to the age our friend needs us to be. So if they want a great friend around their age, we become little, when they need someone to replace a dad, we become that age... You probably needed someone who could be your brother."  
"How do you know all this?"  
"Ashton stayed with you for quite a while didn't he?"  
"Yeah, he stayed with me for 8 years."  
"Well, if you know that I am 4 years younger than him, you will know that I heard quite a lot about your friendship. We don't forget easily Louis."  
"So how old are you then?"  
"I'm 21."  
"No, I mean, how does Niall see you?"  
"The way you see me now."  
"So, as a 21 year old?"  
"Yes Louis."  
"How is that possible? Niall?"

Niall looks up at Louis and smiles. 

"All I wanted was someone around the age of uncle Haz to like me, to play games with me... To be the fun counterpart of my boring uncle", he smiles and hugs me, nuzzling his nose in my t-shirt.   
"So, I guess, Harry is around 21 years old, cause I just stayed like this."  
"Yeah, Harry is 21. He turns 22 in two months."

All I can do is smile and think about how I like that he is older than me, not that much, yet it feels like it makes such a difference. Like he could be someone to protect me, and comfort me and hug me and be the big spoon. 

"Euhm, mate, you still with us... In this conversation?", Louis snaps his fingers in front of me and rolls his eyes impatiently. That boy has way to much sass on him, let me tell you that.  
"Yeah, I zoned out. Shouldn't do that anymore..."  
"It's okay I guess", his eyes fill with confusion, but he is reluctant to ask what I was dreaming about... and I am grateful about that.  
"So euhm, can I ask you one more question though?", he asks quietly.  
"Sure, go for it."  
"Why did Ash leave me... I mean, if I can still see you, I could have still seen Ash, we could have still been friends."  
"True, you could have still been friends, but you didn't need him anymore. You had so many friends around you in high school, you had hobbies, you knew how to study and your grades were amazing. The bond with your parents was much better than when you were younger, you finally understood what it meant to be a big brother. Ashton wasn't needed anymore, because you changed into the boy you wanted to be when you were younger."  
"Still, I wanted him with me, I miss him."  
"There is a big difference between want and need Louis. Think about that. You missing him means that he was important in your life, that he taught you a lot and that is good, the memory of him keeps his legacy alive."  
"What now? What do I do? I mean, I can flippin' see you!", he whisper-yells.   
"You can't tell Harry. Not at all. He is giving Niall a hard enough time as it is."  
"True, but wouldn't it be easy if he could see you?"  
"You know just as well as I do, that I cannot show myself to him. If he wants to see me he will."  
"Can't you help him with that."  
"Yes, I can, but what good will it do. I don't want him to freak out or call the ghost busters."  
"What if you start with gentle things, like... Moving his fork when he isn't watching or dropping a coat from the hanger. Those are things that can happen, cause he is doing things too fast and sloppy... After a while you do something else like, making Ni's food disappear or moving a chair...-"  
"Louis, NOBODY TOUCHES MY FOOD! UNDERSTOOD!", Ni says with so much fury in his eyes. That boy and his food... I'm pretty sure that's going to be the best relationship he will have in his life.   
"Fine fine, just change channels on the tv or something."  
"Maybe, that's not at bad idea... Not at all. Thanks Louis."

I find myself smiling again at the thought of Harry being able to, hopefully, see me in a matter of time. I shouldn't think about that... It's not... No, it shouldn't mean anything to me, I'm here for Niall... Wait! That's it, I'm happy cause it will make things easier on Niall. Yes, I finally get the funny feeling, it is just anticipation, it's me waiting for Niall to be perfectly happy again.


	7. Chapter 7

*Harry's POV*

When I came home after work I apologized to Niall and told him that he was neither stupid or childish. I also told him I would try to understand his friendship with Mike, but that he would have to be patient with me. The idea of an imaginary friend is still pretty ridiculous, but if it helps Niall... 

So now, I'm lying on the couch, listening to some Mozart and enjoying some Shakespeare. The light in the room is dimmed, even the smoke coming from my tea is barely visible. Knowing that everything is fixed with Niall, makes it so much easier to relax. 

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” 

I love 'A Midsummer nights' Dream', but really... Their look on love is way too romantic. How can you fall in love with someone you never saw before, you never knew before. Seriously, now I understand why Cupid's choices never work out. Ugh, my mind is going in overdrive, thinking about love, Niall, work, life...

“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” Yup, John Green totally gets my drift. Too bad I cannot read his books again, I'm too old for them. I know Niall would say that I'm never too old to read young adult books, but I am. The time of young adult books, television series, getting drunk and Twitter is over. Now it's all about being mature, grown up, respected, important and being indispensable when it comes to work. 

Well, I saw her today at the reception  
A glass of wine in her hand  
I knew she would go meet her connection  
At her feet was her footloose man

I only realized after about a minute or so that I was singing along to the song. "You can't always get what you want', seriously? What's going on... is this God telling me that what I want in life is not happening... Djeez!

I walk over to my radio, trying to see what is happening to it, because the last time I checked I was listening to my classical music... Turns out that the radio was switched on, on this rock channel... When are people going to realize that that time is over. I don't know who or what is doing this, but it's not funny. I put Mozart back on and go back to the couch.

It's the eye of the tiger  
It's the thrill of the fight  
Rising up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor  
Stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger

Seriously? It's happening again?! What is this? I'm not in the mood for this... Pulling the plug out of its socket, I turn back to my couch, hoping this time I can relax for another few minutes before going to bed... Maybe I'm just tired, that's the most reasonable explanation I can come up with tonight. 

I'll break away, yes I'm on my way  
Leavin' today, yes I'm on my way  
Just when you think you had it all figured out  
Runnin' scared can change your mind  
I never knew I had so much to give  
How hard times can fool ya

I turn around to face the radio, didn't I just unplug it... Am I losing my mind, I swear someone is giggling. I look up, hoping to see Niall on top of the stairs, so things would be normal, but he isn't. Running up the stairs, to Ni's room, I see him sleeping peacefully. I can't do this... Maybe Niall wasn't the one going mental, but it was me... Before I know what I'm doing, I grab my phone out of my pocket and call Louis.

"Hey Harry! What's up!"  
"Louis, I'm going mental. I'm telling you! I need help now! It's either ghosts or me losing my mind."  
"Harry, I'm pretty sure you are fine", he chuckles.  
"Did you just chuckle at me Louis? Why?! I'm losing it, I can't do this anymore. I plugged it out Louis, I plugged it out and it still played and..."  
"Harry, calm down. You are probably just stressed out. Why don't you come over. I'm having a movie night with some friends."  
"I can't, I have Niall remember."  
"Take him with you, the little guy can sleep in the guest room, or see a film with us before you put him back in his bed. It's Saturday tomorrow, so he doesn't have to go to school. You can sleep over and just relax."  
"Fine, yeah... I'll be there... soon, Louis, seriously, soon!"  
"Harry, take a deep breath, count to three, get Niall and come over. It will all be okay", I can hear him smile and I almost wonder whether he knows more.

I walk back to Niall's room, grab one of the backpacks that are lying on top of his dresser and put some clean clothes for tomorrow in them, I go to my room, put my pyjama's and clean clothes in it and go to the bathroom to get us a comb, toothpaste, toothbrushes and some deodorant. When the backpack is closed, I put on my shoes and jacket. The bag is put in the car and I go back inside to get Niall. I lift him up without waking him and drape a blanket over him. His head falls on my shoulder and his hands snake themselves around my neck. It's surreal how safe he feels with me, even after I acted like a jerk around him. 

When I put him down in his car seat, his eyes flutter open softly and he looks around, confused of where he is.

"Uncle Hazza? What are we doing?"  
"We are going to Louis sweetie, he has some friends over and we are invited to join them and see a film. You like that?"

He nods his head and closes his eyes again, tucking the blanket underneath his chin. Before he drifts off to sleep, he turns himself to me with a tired, but curious expression.  
"Why are we going there so late Uncle Haz?"  
"Because, either I'm going mental or the house is bewitched."  
"What do you mean?", he yawns cutely and I hate myself for being so hard on him.  
"Because someone is playing games with my head Ni, maybe it was me all along going mental."  
"I'm pretty sure you aren't a nutter Uncle Hazza, I just think you met Mike. He likes playing games and pranking people. You're fine, but a night out seems fun. Can I watch a film with you Uncle Haz? Like really? I don't have to go to bed right away?"  
"You can watch one film okay and if you want to you can have a snack as well."

He smiles and kisses my cheek.

"You are the coolest and bestest... euhm, no I can't say that... Bad Niall... the coolest and nicest uncle ever."  
"You know what Niall, if you want to say bestest, go for it. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious isn't a word either, but everybody uses it and Mary Poppins still is an amazing film."

Niall gasps, chuckles and falls asleep. His head lulling to one side, his mouth slightly open and his cheek burning bright red. He looks nothing like my sister and for some reason I'm very grateful for that.

Louis opens the door after I practically knocked it out of it's hinges and smiles at me. 

"Harry please, be gentle with my door, it has feelings thank you very much. Come on, put your bag here in the hallway and let's take you to the kitchen."

I clutch Niall closer to me, not wanting to let him go. He provides so much warmth and for the first time in a year I really notice the little boy. I notice his eyelashes fluttering softly when he is about to wake up, I notice him scrunching up his nose at the smell of food, I notice his soft breath and silent giggle when my hair tickles him, I notice his little hands grabbing my sweater even tighter afraid of me letting go, afraid of me leaving him. This boy is so soft and small, yet so loud and lively. How did I not notice that before? How did I expect a boy like this to be silent and turn into a mini me? 

"Hey little bud, you want some hot chocolate milk? I put some extra marshmallows on top of it especially for you", Louis hands the cup to Niall and tells him to be careful cause the drink is still warm. 

Niall holds the cup with two hands and is practically drooling over his drink. He looks at me and I smile, telling him that he can have it, for once not caring about his health. Not much later he looks at something, smiles and nudges towards his drink. His tiny feet do a small happy dance, making sure he doesn't spill the chocolate milk.

Louis hands my cup and guides us out of the door into the living room. I swear though, that before he left the kitchen , I heard him say: "I'm fine Mike, thanks for asking. You look good too."

What?! Is Louis playing along with the game... What is going on... I ran to Louis to become sane again, this isn't helping. We walk into the living room and see 6 heads turning our way. 

"Harry, Niall, this is my boyfriend Liam and his best friend Zayn. The girl sitting next to Zayn is Brittney. On the other couch are Ashtyn and Matt", Louis introduces everyone. Niall and I smile and sit down on the nearest couch. 

"Louis, isn't it cool that your friend Ashtyn's name is almost the same as your friend Ashton", Niall giggles softly and Louis high fives him. The rest of us are left with a face full of confusion. Who is Ashton? And why does Niall know him, but not the rest of us?

"My name is still so much cooler. Right Matt?", Matt smiles to his boyfriend and pecks him on the lips.

Niall then turns to Zayn and Brittney and starts giggling yet again.  
"Are you two together? Like a mum and a dad?"  
"No sweetie, we are just friends. Best friends", Brittney answers.   
"Keep telling yourself that", Matt says in a singing voice and the rest of us start laughing.  
"You should go on a date, cause both of you look very pretty together", Niall says as seriously as he can, leaving Brittney and Zayn shy and speechless. 

He then hands me the cup and runs to Louis. Niall climbs on his lap and whispers something in his ear. Louis then gets out of the couch and drags Niall with him to the DVD's. 

"Louis, Louis, Louis, can we watch Finding Nemo? Please, please please? If I say pretty please, can we see it then? PRETTY PLEASE LOUIS!"

Yup, that's no more sugar for Niall tonight. Ni then comes back to me and cuddles himself closer. When the movie starts, I lean closer to Ni and whisper in his ear.

"Hey Ni, what did you ask Louis?"  
"I asked him if it was okay that Mike joined us. I couldn't leave him alone Uncle Haz. The house gets scary at night. Are you mad?"  
"I'm not mad bud, it's okay."

And in that moment I swear I feel someone brushing my cheek lightly.


	8. Chapter 8

*Niall's POV*

Today was so much fun! I got to see a movie, while I'm snuggled up to uncle Haz and with Mike close to me. I even got a hot chocolate, I think Louis makes the best hot coco ever, but I cannot tell my uncle Haz that. 

I'm now in this huge bed, it's not as soft and warm as my bed at home, but I'm happy with it. Uncle Haz even read a bed time story about dragons and wizards and princes. I don't really know what is happening to him, but I like it. He also asked me about Mike right before he left. What he looked like, what colour eyes he has and the colour of his hair... Mike was very happy that, he smiled and laughed. Maybe we can actually be friends, all three of us. 

"Hey Ni, shouldn't you try to sleep? It's later than usual, you must be tired."  
"Yeah, I am, but I'm thinking of uncle Haz."  
"Why? Did he do something wrong?"  
"No, no, Mike, not at all... He is just different now... I get a snack, I can stay up late, he asks questions about you?"  
"Maybe it is a one time thing?"  
"It's a possibility, but... He really never ever did that. No matter how hard I begged and now I can. Did you know I can use the word bestest now?"  
"Wow, someone really hit him on the head with a hammer", Mike smirks.  
"Mike, did you do something? Do you have anything to do with it?"  
"Well, I may or may not have played with the radio and then I giggled when your uncle Haz freaked out which he may have heard..."  
"You didn't", my eyes go big and I start laughing really hard, " This is the best news Mike! Really. Don't stop doing that okay? I want us to be a real family. You, me and uncle Harry."

"I will continue doing those things if you go to bed right now", he kissed the top of my head and put himself against the wall. For some reason he never slept next to me, something about him being too old, so instead of hugging him closer to me, I focus on his breath, calming down my mind and giving me the feeling of safety.

The next morning a very excited uncle Haz, which is seriously strange, walks into my room.

"Ni, wake up bud, come on! MOVIETIME!"  
"Uncle Haz, what is going on?"  
"We are going to see Frozen, the film you wanted to see right? Everyone is coming along, so if you want to...", uncle Haz looked around the room and whispered, "You can take Mike with you as well okay", he then smiled, while leaving the room. 

To say that I am gobsmacked was an understatement... Who is that and what did he do with my uncle... Mike was still sleeping against the wall, he looks so young and peaceful and it isn't the first time this odd idea pops into my mind... What if he and uncle Haz... I mean... They'd be good together, they would be balanced, like ping and pong... Wait, no... What's that called... Whatever, as long as I get it. 

Suddenly I get the best idea and jump out of bed! If I want to get it done, I better go for it now uncle Haz is still in a good mood. I storm out of my room, the door smacking against the wall and run off the stairs with a lot of noise... 

"Uncle Haz, Uncle Haz, Uncle Haz, Uncle Haz!!!"  
"Wow, you are very awake Ni, what's going on?"  
"Can I go to the film in my onesie? Please, please, please. It's just so cosy and warm."  
"Sure, just this once okay Ni", I smile and attack him in a hug. 

Walking back to the seat I was in last night, I see Michael sitting there already. I can't do anything else but laugh at his appearance. His hair is still blonde, but is now covered up with a pikatchu hat, his clothing are all black and he is holding a nerf gun. Why is he even holding that?

"Hey Mike, I thought you were going to dye your hair, but it's still blonde..."  
"Hold up! I dyed it mister... You just don't watch properly."  
"First off, when did you dye your hair, your always here. Second, how can I see when you are wearing a cap and a hat?"  
"I left the house for a while when everyone was asleep... No matter how much I like you Niall, I'm not going to sleep an entire night on the floor... So since all seats were taken, I went home, dyed my hear, slept for a few hours, came here and crashed against the wall."  
"Okay then, but your hair?", curiosity clear in my voice. 

He lifts up his hat and I see that his hair is blonde, but has a huge black stripe in the middle of his head. 

"You flipping look like bloody Cruella De Ville dude!", I say while holding my tummy cause I'm laughing so hard! 

Everyone around me is waking up and give me either a murderous or strange look.

"Hey Niall, who looks like Cruella De Ville?", Liam asks.  
"Oh, Mike does! Too bad you can't see, cause you are all old", I chuckle and jump of the couch, slowly turning around again and seeing all their upset faces, " that's okay though, today is your first step to youthfulness again. We are going to see Frozen!"  
"Youthfulness?", Matt asks, "How old are you?"  
"I am eight."  
"Shouldn't you use simple words then?"  
"Nope, uncle Haz always reads the new difficult word that is on the back of our calendar. A new one for every day. This one was... I think last week. The best word was serendipity."

 

Everyone in the room seems stunned... I don't get why... Shouldn't they know that word? 

"Well, since you all seem confused, serendipity means the act of finding something valuable or delightful when you are not looking for it."

"Sweetie, we know what that means, it's just odd that an eight year old knows such words", Brittney says, softly smiling.

"Are you and Zayn dating already? I mean, you must have found each other when you weren't looking already... So you are a great example of serendipity.

Brittney and Zayn look at each other and start blushing, the rest of the people in the room start laughing...  
What did I do know? I only told the truth... Djeez! Pretty sure this eight year old is smarter than all the adults together, thank you very much.

"Hey Ni, Should I try and make your uncle Harry notice me again?"  
"YES YES YES! Please do! Mehehehe, I love how no one notices this except for us."  
"Don't forget Louis, he isn't going to tell is he Niall? We can trust him right? I mean... Never was I seen by a grown up, so this scares me a little bit."  
"He won't. don't forget, he knows about this..."

Mike stands up, puts the nerf gun down on the sofa and walks to the kitchen were my uncle and Louis are now making breakfast for all of us. I see Michael walking over to where Louis stands, they wave at each other without uncle Haz noticing. Mike then walks over to the toaster and pushes the off button, that way the bread pops up. 

"What the... Lou that bread isn't ready yet."  
"It wasn't me Harry."  
"Right, putting the bread back in."

Five seconds later the bread pops out again. 

"See, told you it wasn't me!"  
"Is your toaster broken?"  
"Nope, it worked perfectly fine ten minutes ago."  
"Let's try again yeah?"

Louis nods, trying to hide the smile. His eyes catch mine and he winks. Not much later the bread pops out again.

"This is mental... First the music, now the bread... I'm going out of my mind Lou. I can't escape."

I see Michael move closer to my uncle, he stands in front of him and looks at Harry with curious eyes. Michael smiles at me, turns back to Uncle Haz and kisses him on the cheek.

"Louis... Seriously! You have a boyfriend, stop kissing me!"  
"Uhm, Harry, how can I kiss you when you are at the counter and I'm two meters away, standing in front of the fridge. I didn't kiss you and no offense, that will never happen."

I make a kissy face towards Mike and point to my lips, still half hidden behind the kitchen wall. He frantically shakes his head, but I nod. He should do it! The fairytales always says that an act of true love can defeat every spell... 

Mike sighs and leans in, very slowly, too slowly, but finally puts his lips on top of uncle Haz' lips. They stay like that for a while until my uncle takes a step back and touches his lips. His hands find his mouth and softly caress over his lips... Really, I have no clue why he does that, cause he looks silly, but hey... What do I know about love right? 

"Come on Ni, let's go to the movies... You can have popcorn as breakfast", his eyes are big and frantic. 

Did he actually feel Mike? 

We walk out the door, right in to the car and drive off... I want to tell uncle Haz that he left everyone else behind, but he seems so afraid. Maybe I shouldn't have told Mike to do that... What if I was wrong and uncle Haz turns into this boring man again... I royally screwed up this time, didn't I?

Not much later we arrive at the theatre and already go in... Either uncle Haz really doesn't understand he left everyone behind or he just doesn't care. 

"Niall, go choose something to snack on okay. I'll be there right away."

I happily hop off and go find myself the biggest bag of popcorn I can find. FOOD! Seriously I'm hungry and I'm pretty sure I could eat a horse, no an elephant! No A DINOSAUR! 

"Did you choose Ni?"

I show him my bag of popcorn and instead of scolding me for picking the largest bag he just nods and walks to the counter. Yup, something is off... And I am not complaining.

"Uncle Haz? Where is the rest of Louis' friends?"  
"Oh, yeah... they are on their way. So is Louis."  
"And Mike?"  
"I'm pretty sure he'll be with them."  
"Woohoow! Can I sit next to him uncle Haz?"  
"Yeah, sure, sure... Whatever... Sure..."  
"You okay?"  
"I'm fine Niall, don't worry."

Says the man who isn't even mad for not using a verb into my sentence... YIKES! Then again... The change might be good. Maybe uncle Haz and I can go on adventures together from now on! 

When the rest finally arrives and buy their snacks we go find our seats.   
"So Mike, where were you?"  
"I was at Lou's, I mean, I wanted to follow you, but Harry was out of the door before I could actually follow you and I didn't want him to freak out even more. Are you sure that kiss wasn't too much Ni?"  
"Nope, it's not too much. He will get over it eventually. Or not, cause he might looovveee you."

Mike starts blushing and changes the subject. It's funny when he does that, but it is so obvious that he likes my uncle.

"Hey Ni, Who do you think is the nicest couple here?"  
"Brittney and Zayn, although they aren't officially dating."  
"Who is the cutest?"  
"Matt and Ashtyn! They are just so adorable! I want to pinch their cheeks!"  
"Allrriigghhttt! What about Louis and Liam."  
"They should be your example Mike. You should see how they act around each other."  
"Why?"  
"Well, once uncle Harry sees you properly, you can do those things with him."

Mike's face goes as red as a tomato and I can't stop laughing! Louis who heard everything is now telling the others what we said. Their responses don't make it easier to stop laughing. Uncle Haz seems genuinely confused, Liam is cooing at Louis, Zayn and Brittney just stare at their feet with a slight smile on their faces and Matt and Ashtyn cuddle even closer, giving each other a gentle kiss. 

The lights go out and the movie starts playing. Mike and I are really into the movie and just watch as intently as we can. It's so good! Olaf the snowman is too funny! He is my favourite character in the film. So whenever he isn't on the screen I still watch, but also attack my popcorn. I don't mind the crunching noise as long as Olaf isn't on the screen. 

Mike and I are sharing the big bag with uncle Haz, so often we have to fight for the popcorn, but we manage. That is until uncle Haz puts his hand in the bag and withdraws it right away. 

"Niall", he whispers, "If you don't have your hand in the bag right now, than who's am I touching. Don't tell me it's -"  
"Mike's, uncle Haz! You should know, he is sitting next to me and we are sharing."

Let's just say uncle Haz didn't touch the popcorn anymore after that and cradled his hand in his other hand like it was wounded or even better, precious. 

When the movie endq, Mike and I are the first to hop out of the theatre. Finding the car in a full parking lot is always a challenge, but Mike is Watson and I'm Sherlock Holmes so I'm sure we'll manage. We keep hopping around singing songs from the film we just saw. 

Let it go, let it go  
Can't hold it back anymore  
Let it go, let it go  
Turn my back and slam the door  
And here I stand and here I'll stay  
Let it go, let it go  
The cold never bothered me anyway

"That was such a great song! But how did the one go that Olaf sung? Do you remember Mike!?"  
"Wait, wasn't it something like this?"

Bees'll buzz, kids'll blow dandelion fuzz  
And I’ll be doing whatever snow does in summer.  
A drink in my hand, my snow up against the burning sand  
Prob'ly getting gorgeously tanned in summer.

"That was so funny Mike! I love Olaf! Can I have one?"  
"Well, if it starts snowing this winter, we'll make you an Olaf. Okay?"  
"Yes! Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Louis, can I ask you something?"  
"Sure Harry? What's up?"  
"Is Mike wearing a Pikatchu hat today?"

Both Mike and I fall silent, our step getting much slower, trying to follow the silent conversation my uncle and Louis are having at this moment.

"Yeah, he is... Why?"  
"Is he wearing a black sweater with a cap and black trousers?"  
"Yeah, he is... Harry?"  
"Louis, is he walking next to Niall?"  
"Yeah... he is."

Mike looks at me, his eyes big and his mouth open. Is this happening?

"Oh wait, he is gone now... Is he?"  
"Nope, he is still here..."  
"I can't see him anymore... What's going on Louis?", my uncle says, panic filling his voice.

Nope, guess I was wrong.


	9. Chapter 9

*Mike's POV*

I have been pondering the entire evening about what has happened before. Both Niall and I are lost for words. Only he is ecstatic about it, I'm afraid. For some weird reason I like that Harry saw me, even though it was only for a short while. I just don't understand why. Lately I have been having more thoughts about what it would be, to be visible to Harry... I just... The thoughts make me happy... But no, I can't... 

At the moment I'm in the seat that is right next to the sofa Harry's on. Niall is already in bed and I didn't feel like sitting against the wall, so I just came downstairs. Harry is watching the news, it's pretty boring... Politics, people being hurt, bla bla bla. This couch is way too comfortable. What if I just try to lie down more, with my feet on the coffee table and just try to fall asleep... Harry can't see me now, so he can't complain about my feet on the table... tempting, very tempting. It's either this or observing Harry. Looking at him, I see his chest go up and down slowly, his eyes fluttering lightly, looking straight at me... WAIT!? Looking straight at me?! WHAT!?

"Euhm, Hi?", I say quietly, waving shyly at him.

"Michael?", he replies, his green eyes intently focused on my face.  
"Yeah... Hi."  
"Uhm, well, euhm... I'm Harry."

"I know... Oh god that might sound creepy, sorry about that... Didn't mean to, it's just that Ni, well Niall, told me about living with you and I kind off have been living here as well. I mean, you couldn't see me before...So, yeah, I should leave...", I ramble...  
"No no, stay, please... You seem quite important in Niall's life... And for some reason I can see you now...So..."  
"Yeah, I hope you don't mind me spending time with Niall?"  
"No... Not really. You seem to really understand Niall and what he goes through... While I... I just... I ruin him."  
"Harry, no, you don't. You were just raised in a different way. Your background was different. All you want is the best for Niall, only... It might not be the right thing for him...", my eyes grow big, realizing I may just have insulted his parenting skills.   
"SorryIDidn'tMeanToSayThatYouAreBeingAGoodParentSeriouslyIDon'tknowWhatI'mSayingISuckBigTime", I mumble quickly, while face palming myself.

"I don't blame you. I'm just not fit to be a dad or an uncle or whatever..."  
"You are, you just need to try and understand Niall. That's all. You did a pretty good job over the past few days. Giving him treats, letting him stay up late, go the theatre, trying to accept me."  
"Yeah, euhm, what are you? I don't mean to offend you but- "

Why isn't he talking anymore? What's going on? His eyes look so frantic... I don't get it... 

"Michael? Really!? Now you go disappearing on me?"

Oh, no... Not now! We were getting to know each other and things went all fine... His stupid mind! He was probably thinking old thoughts again. I see this notepad on the table and grab it. The pen next to it makes this situation, thankfully, less stressful. If I had to go looking for a pen I would have screamed. 

Well, here goes nothing... Let's hope Harry doesn't freak out about a moving ghost pen.

Please call me Mike, I dislike Michael...   
Also think young thoughts.

Harry chuckles, "Shouldn't it be: 'Think Happy Thoughts'?"

I roll my eyes. Is This boy for real? 

I'm not bloody Peter Pan, Harry...Think Young Thoughts... YOUNG! NOT HAPPY! YOUNG! Old people can be happy too! You need to be YOUNG! The song isn't called 'Forever Happy', for a reason... 

"Song?"

Seriously? FOREVER YOUNG

I'm so happy Harry can't see me now, my scowl and exasperated look aren't the prettiest to watch... 

"Well Okay, let's give it a go then.... What's a good young thought? Oh, I know! Here it goes. I DON'T LIKE THE NEWS."

I face palm myself... again... I'm pretty sure that at the end of the night I'm going to have a massive headache...

That's your happy thought? Djeez! Think of a cartoon or a fun movie, that might help better, you doofus!

"Fine! Let me get some inspiration."

Harry grabs the remote and starts flicking through the channels. Can that boy really not think of one show he saw when he was younger? I mean, there are plenty! Sesame Street, The Power Rangers, The Simpsons, Garfield... Disney films, Star Wars... It's not that hard! Let's try something else...

What about a favourite book? 

Harry read the note, smiles, drops the remote, runs towards his cupboard, starts rummaging through his books, even throws some books aside... Nearly against my head... Thank you Harry... You don't get 50 points if you hit it! 

He then clutches a book closer and cuddles it. That must be one hell of a book if he loves it that much. Harry turns around in the direction I'm sitting in and shows it to me. Well, Harry Potter...Who would have thought... Harry might actually have some taste... WOW! 

Good choice of book... 

I then turn the page and write:

What was your favourite game?

"Well, I loved pretending that the floor was made out of lava", he smiles this soft smile that makes my heart skip at beat.

What? Then why can't Niall play it?

"Isn't it obvious? I'm jealous of him playing that game. It reminds me of me not being allowed to play that game when I was younger. I had to grow up, always learning, never having fun... Now I'm an adult... Adults aren't supposed to play games..."

This is just a silly idea... But you could always play along with him? 

He shakes his head, his hair dropping in front of his eyes, because of the movement. Harry sits down again and the soft features on his face disappear. 

I can't let this happen, not when he is finally opening up. So I take the closest pillow and throw it on the floor, I then take another and throw it towards his feet. He looks up, trying to find me, not sure where I am right now. I then grab the pen and start writing, drop the pen on the table again, climb over the table and hold the note as close to him as I can in order for him to still read it.

Why don't we play the game now? Please?

He smiles at the note and jumps on the sofa. He start jumping from his couch to the other and onto his table, avoiding his glass of water. Harry then jumps on a pillow, back onto the couch and then stops. I stare at him, trying to figure out why he stopped, when I see him looking at me. His smile becomes even bigger and he starts chasing me. A bubbly laugh escapes my lips and I start hopping around in the hope that I get away from Harry's grasp. I don't want to end up in lava.

Not a minute later I see it happen... Harry jumps on the coffee table, his left foot landing next to it, making him lose his balance... It all seems to go in slow motion, even my heart dropping and skipping a beat, but before I realize what I am doing I am running towards Harry, grabbing his wrist and trying to pull him up, only to be pulled down with him. We land on the floor with a thud, me landing on top of Harry. If I weren't that worried about Harry being hurt, I would think about how I liked this position, but I don't... Or maybe a little.

I don't even have the time to catch my breath, because two warm and soft hands find their way to my face. They pull it closer to Harry's... Damn his eyes are dreamy.

"Thank you so much for saving me. I mean, I could have fallen down like... really hard, but the blow was softened because of you."  
"Really Harry, it was nothing. Are you sure you're not hurt? I'm not a lightweight and I just fell on top of you."

Harry starts blushing and averts his eyes. Slowly he turns his eyes back to mine and starts whispering. 

"Mike, can I ask you something?", his breath hits my lips and tingles spread themselves through my body.  
"Yeah, you can", I reply just as softly.  
"In the theatre... Did you feel that electricity too... You know, when our hands touched."

I look at him and nod, my face still serious.

"And... Mike, be honest okay... Did you kiss me at Lou's? On my cheek?"

I nod again, nibbling on my bottom lip.

"Was it also you who kissed me on the lips?"

The only thing I can do is look into Harry's eyes. If I say yes, he might run, but if I say no... I would be lying and one mustn't tell lies right...

"Why?", Harry starts blushing, but still looks at me... Not a trace of anger or fear in his eyes.  
"Euhm, cause... I don't really know why...", I can't tell Harry that it was Niall's idea, what if he gets mad at the boy. Niall only wanted to do well... Let's go with the other truth then, "I don't know why or how... I mean, I never felt this way, I don't understand anything about it... but I think I'm drawn to you..."

I feel Harry's hands pull my head closer to his, I start to panic, Harry mirrors my look...

"Mike", he says again, " Why do you always leave... If only I could stop freaking out about things and become young and reckless again..."

That's when I notice that he isn't looking at my exact position but next to me... I'm gone again... I'm freaking gone again... My mind goes blank, fear and anger taking over and I do the only thing I can do now. I run... fast... Only stopping when the sound of an arriving text invades my mind.

To Mike  
Mate, Where are you? You are forgetting our monthly meeting... Ash

From Mike  
Damn! I'll be there in 10! Sorry! Mike!

Arriving at the meeting, Luke was already telling us that Walter, the older man who wanted to go back to his wife, died with a smile on his face, after thanking Luke for being the best friend he could ever wish for in his last days.   
"I now have another case. His name is Gregory and he doesn't feel like dying. Not when he hasn't completed his bucket list. If you know there are things on their like performing with The Rolling Stones, climbing on the highest rock in Stonehenge and Skydive... Yeah, it's not going to be easy."

After that Calum told about his time with Brittany and how much he just keeps adoring her. It can't be any cuter than that!   
"She is getting better, it's amazing. I took her to an Emblem3 concert, arranged a Meet and Greet for her and her mum, they got along so well, especially her and Wesley, and wanted to help. Besides Wesley asking her to be his girlfriend, they paid for a better treatment. The doctor told us yesterday that she has 70% chance of surviving now instead of 40%. We are having the best time laughing and dancing and she is almost celebrating her 6th birthday. The sad part about it all is that I'm not visible to her anymore on some days... Whenever she went through chemo, I'm there, I'm visible... Whenever she has her good days, I'll be sitting next to her, telling the most fantastic stories in the hope that she will hear them and find me again... I'm sad, yet I'm happy." A small tear rolls over his cheek and we are all heart broken for him.

Ashton smiles and starts telling about the little boy he stays with.  
"Gus is doing incredibly well. He is finally adopted by the sweetest family you can imagine. They have a playroom, a music room, an art room all for him. They don't push him into anything and he gets time to develop himself. Like, they don't tell him to call them mum and dad, he doesn't need to hug them if he doesn't want to... I'm still visible to him, so I guess I'm needed to learn him how to trust people, how to handle hurt, grief, fear... That's okay, I love to. His imagination is running wild right now and we are going on the most amazing adventures. It's a blast spending time with that four year old."

Then 4 pairs of eyes turn into my direction.   
I tell them literally everything... About Niall flooding the house, painting the office, giggling, bedtime stories, playing games, going to school... I even tell them about Harry, since he is a part of my case too... The odd feelings toward him, how his smile makes my day, but his pout breaks my heart...

"Oh my god", Luke gasps!  
"Is it... nooo?!", Calum whispers.  
"Good job mate, go for it!", Ash laughs.  
"Go for what?", I ask confused.  
"That, Mike, is for you to figure out on your own. Let's just hope you make the right decision", Simon says vaguely. 

After that Luke and Calum get up, wave at us and leave, only after making me promise that we are going for a lads night out soon. 

"Hey Ash, wait up!"  
"What's up Mike?"  
"Do you remember when you had a case called Louis?"  
"Yes, Yes I do! Louis Tomlinson, those were the days! Blowing up bins in the hallways of his school. Yup, he went from little, fragile, bullied boy who wanted to kill himself, to strong, independent and popular."  
"Yeah, him... Euhm... I may have met him, cause he is Harry's friend."  
"Okaaayyy... What are you trying to tell me Mike?"  
"We got talking about you, cause for some reason Louis can see me, like all the time... and he wants to see you again."  
"You know that's against the rules right?"  
"I know, I told him that you couldn't, that you had a reason to leave, but..."  
"It was odd with Louis, he never stopped seeing me, I had to make the decision of leaving him... Should have known that that boy was special."  
"Look, I'm all for closure and all... But him seeing me all the time and excepting all of this... Maybe for once we can make an exception. Let's just go see him, he misses you."  
" I miss him too... He was the best friend I could ever ask for."  
"See? Please?"  
"Fine, let's go, but if I don't like this meeting, we are leaving and I will never return to Louis again okay."  
"Deal."

Fifteen minutes later we knock on Louis' door, Ash hiding himself behind me, still standing a few feet away.

"Haz, please stop crying. I'll be back in a minute. Just please, stop crying okay", we hear from behind the door. Great, cause I didn't feel guilty enough already for leaving him.

The door opens, revealing a tired looking, feather haired boy.  
"Oh, hey Mike... Look, this isn't the right timing. Harry is in here and I'm pretty sure neither of you can handle the situation. That is if he can actually see you today", he rubs his hands over his eyes and yawns.  
"Uhm, yeah, look... I'll make it quick... Remember the conversation we had about Ashton?"  
"Yeah, I do... How what I wanted wasn't what I needed."  
"About that..."  
"Hi Lou", Ashton says, walking from behind me, revealing himself to Louis.  
"Ash?"  
"Yeah... How are you?"  
"I'm... Djeez... I'm going mental... Mike isn't standing in front of my door with Ash... That's what I get for comforting Harry throughout the night... I need sleep... or coffee."  
"You aren't dreaming Louis. I'm here."  
"God... Here you are and I look rubbish... Look, how about we meet up later? Now is a bad moment. I need to bring Harry home... Besides, it's what... 3am?"  
"Right, sorry about that... We didn't really thing about this entire situation", I say, scratching the back of my neck.  
"That's okay Mike."  
"Wait Lou, if Harry is here, then where is Ni?"  
"Don't worry, Harry dropped him off at Matt and Ashtyn's, since Brittney and Zayn had a date."  
"Well, that was about time... And I'm glad Ni is safe..."  
"Look, how about we go for breakfast tomorrow?"  
"So you would order three breakfasts, while talking to two random people who's food is disappearing while no one is eating..."  
"Right, just come over tomorrow around 6 pm?"  
"Sure we will be here. Bye Louis."  
"See ya, Mike."  
"You look good Louis."  
"So do you Ash."


	10. Chapter 10

*Harry's POV*

To Zayn  
Hey man! You home right now? Harry

From Zayn  
No, I'm not. I'm following Ni's advice and took Brittney out on a date. Z

To Zayn  
Well, that was about time! Enjoy. Harry

From Zayn  
Why did you need me Haz? Maybe I can help from a distance. Z

To Zayn  
No, you can't... I just need a babysitter for Niall. It's urgent, since I need one now... Harry

From Zayn  
Well, why don't you try Lou? Z

To Zayn  
I need Lou for myself tonight... So no can do. Harry

From Zayn  
Ooohhh, See... I knew something was up between the two of you! Well then, if you want to have some private time with him, why don't you try Matt and Ashtyn? They adore Niall. Z

To Zayn  
Seriously! You are an idiot! I may only know you for a few days... and I may like you... But you are an idiot. Still, thanks for the idea! Harry

From Zayn  
Wait, no Larry? Z

To Zayn  
What? Who's Larry? Harry

From Zayn  
You and Lou obviously... Z

To Zayn  
Nope, no whatever it is you call us... Harry

From Zayn  
Sad times mate, sad times! Anyway, good luck on finding a babysitter. I'm going to focus myself on Brittney now, she is being insanely funny and cute. Z

It's a miracle that I can stay this calm, while my heart is going in overdrive, my mind is showing me every single second of the time I had with Mike just mere minutes ago...   
What is happening? I mean... I'm not... Really... Not with Mike... Right? He doesn't exist. Does he? He must... How else can I see him? Did I really see him? Wasn't it all a dream? Why did he disappear... My mind is going in circles and I feel like I'm losing it. 

Finally finding Matt's number, I decide to call him quickly.

"Hi, Matt speaking!"  
"Hey Matt, it's Harry."  
"Haarryyy!!! How are you mate?"  
"Yeah, I'm not so good... Look uhm, some situation came up, can't say much about it. The thing is, I need to fix it, but I can't leave Niall on his own. Can you look after him?"  
"Sure thing Harry, bring him over."  
"I promise he won't be a bother."  
"Harry, I believe you, I told you to bring him over right? Ashtyn is already excited to have Niall with us... He is going through every game and painting stuff we have."  
"You know he should be asleep right?"  
"Sure thing, but when he wakes up, we'll keep him entertained."  
"Would you mind Niall staying over for about two days or so, until my head is cleared?"  
"Nope. He is safe here. Don't worry."  
"Thanks Matt! See you in a few."

I'm very grateful towards Matt for taking over Niall when I know I won't be a good guardian towards him and for not asking any questions... How am I going to explain that I nearly kissed Niall's imaginary friend... How am I going to explain that something about Mike appeals to me... How am I going to explain that I don't believe in love, at all, yet here I am... confused. 

I walk over to Niall's room, yet again stuffing the backpack with clean clothes, his comb, toothpaste and all the other things he will need to stay at Matt and Ashtyn's for two days. Looking over to Niall, I see him lying in his bed, sleeping peacefully. His face half covered by his blanket, one of his little feet sticking out from under it. 

"Niall, sweetie....", I whisper, shaking his small frame, hoping he wakes up for just a little while.  
"Uncle Haz? Niall swears, Niall didn't do it.", he says, his voice thick with sleep.  
"No, no you didn't do anything wrong, but I organized for you to have a sleep over at Matt and Ashtyn's. Is that okay?"  
"Sure uncle Haz, but only if you carry Niall. Niall is very sleepy", he makes grabby hands for just a few seconds, before dropping his hands on his bed again, closing his eyes and falling back asleep.   
I pick him up as careful as I can, shielding his head from the light with my hand. With Niall in my arms, I walk out of the door, put him in his car seat and cover his small frame with his black blanket that has green clovers all over it. It was my first gift to him and he still uses it to cover himself up in the car when he is cold... 

When I arrive at Matt's place not much later, I kiss a sleepy Niall on his head and hand him over. Seeing the love in Matt's eyes, that he has for my little man, makes me feel better about my decision of leaving him in someone else's care for a few days. After thanking and saying goodbye to Matt and Ashtyn I drive towards Louis' place. I have no clue what I'm going to say to Louis or how he will react to me freaking out over what is possibly nothing. 

Only then do I realize that I never called Louis and that he is my intern... I never really had friends, so can I call Louis my friend? Sure, we spent some time together in the past few days, but does that make us friends... I decide to risk it anyway and knock violently on Louis' door.

"Mate, I have a doorbell you know!", he looks slightly annoyed, but that changes once he takes in the state I'm in.  
"I'm sorry, seriously Louis! I'm so so so sorry, for everything... For barging in like this, for being possibly the worst boss you could have, for taking you to a kids film... I know we aren't really friends, but I need someone right now...", I sink down against the wall and just drop my head against the wall, small tears rolling out of my eyes.  
"Harry? Mate? What are you on about? What is going on?"  
"Louis, today I just realized that I have literally no friends, no one who cares about me, no family, nothing... You are the closest thing I have to a friend, yet I don't dare to make friends, cause everyone I love ends up leaving me, just like Mike", I sniffle and just lie myself down on the floor... I can't move, my vision is blurry and the room feels like it is spinning, my heart beats erratic and I feel like I can't breath. Clutching my chest, I start panicking... I know this feeling all too well, it's me losing myself and I can't have that. Not now, not ever.   
"Harry? You are scaring me... Come on, get up. Harry!"  
That's the last thing I hear before my world goes black... It's not all black though, the boy in my arms in as colourful as he can be... Pink hair, intense green/brown eyes that light up the room, red lips that pout softly demanding to be kissed. Before I can actually kiss them, the boy laughs, pushes me away and disappears...

"Harry, come on! Wake up!"

My eyes snap open and look around... Suddenly everything that happened before fills my head. 

"Sorry about that Louis... I'm not good with emotions..."  
"That's okay... You know you are always welcome at my place Harry."  
"Really? Why?"  
"Cause you are my friend."  
"How do you know that?"  
"Because I have been working for about half a year now with you, and in that time we have shared our dreams, thoughts, daily situations, fears, we hung out... I care about you and Niall, I trust you a lot. To me that makes you my friend."  
"That's not good though, cause everyone that cares about me leaves..."  
"I'm not going to leave you Harry. You are my friend and friends stick together. No matter what. You don't always have to be the strong one."  
"I do, especially now with Niall... I can't break, I won't..."  
"Once in a while you need to break and freak out and go insane. That's the only way to keep your sanity. You've been through so much, you have the right to break."  
"Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure, anything."  
"Don't laugh please."  
"Okay, what is it?"  
"Can I have a cuddle please?", I don't understand where the need for affection comes from. Knowing that I haven't cuddled anyone in the longest time... I just feel like breaking and I need someone to keep me whole, to keep me from falling.  
He scoots closer to me and pulls me on his lap, not even afraid of the physical contact. He wraps his arms around my waist and puts his chin on my head. I tuck my face in the crook of his neck and try to focus on my breathing, but I can't. The green/brown eyes keep invading my mind and I try to figure out where I know them from. 

"Harry, can I ask you something?", I hum, letting him know he can continue, "What did you mean with Mike leaving you?"  
"Nothing", I push my face closer against his skin, trying to forget about everything that happened before.  
"Come on Harry, something must have happened for you to freak out like that."  
"I saw him again today."  
"That's good. What happened?"  
"We talked and then he disappeared again."  
"Do you know why?"  
"No... But then he started writing notes, so we talked like that."  
"Okay, then what..."  
"Then we played the game where the floor is lava. It was so much fun Louis..."  
"But?"  
"I fell", I hesitate...  
"And?"  
"Then he fell."  
"Yes?"  
"On top of me", I whisper, almost feeling ashamed of telling him the story.  
"So?"  
"He told me he kissed me on the cheek and also admitted to kissing me on the lips and then he disappeared again. He left me, Louis."  
"You don't know that do you... He might have still been in the room?"  
"Nope, I heard the door close", for the first time today, I actually try to fight the tears, but the crack in my voice still betrays me.  
"Why do you care so much about Mike?"  
"I don't, I don't..."  
"Obviously you do Harry... What's going on?"  
"I don't know anymore Louis, I'm just so lost. He does something to me and I don't get it. Not only is he better with Niall, but he is overall a better person. He cares for me and I don't know why. That kiss felt so good Louis and when he touched my hand... Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would feel like this again... Or that if I did, I would be able to fight it, ignore it and move on. I can't anymore... I'm so tired of all the fighting. Is it too much to ask for someone to hold me and support me and tell me everything will be okay? For someone to just love me for who I am?", I'm losing my breath again, the room starts spinning and the dark wants to pull me under, only this time it's not working. Louis holds me closer, whispering sweet things in my ear and just rocking me back and forth. It's in this moment that I realize one thing... No matter how good of a job Louis is doing, I need Mike... I need him now and I don't want him to ever let me go... I don't understand the feeling coursing through my body, but I need Mike... Only... He doesn't need me and that hurts. I understand though, I'm not as good of a person as he is, I'm a nobody.   
By now the tears are streaming down my face, sobs rocking through my body, my limbs shaking, the cold and tiredness taking over. Louis is trying to calm me down by singing softly in my ear.

>   
> Let me go home  
> I'm just too far  
> From where you are  
> I wanna come home
> 
> And I feel just like  
> I'm living someone else's life  
> It's like I just stepped outside  
> When everything was going right
> 
> And I know just why you could not  
> Come along with me  
> That this was not your dream  
> But you always believed in me   
> 

The song reminds me of Mike and thinking of him makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I need him and if I can't have him with me now, I want to have him in my dreams. Slowly I let the sleep take over. Louis lays me down on the couch softly, then putting a blanket over me.

I startle awake by the sound of the doorbell and realize that I am yet again alone, without him... The thought of him never being mine, of me being a failure floods back and I start crying yet again. My eyes are soar, my cheeks feel like they are on fire, my body feels empty and drained. I then notice that Louis is gone... Obviously, cause everyone leaves me.

Footsteps come closer to me and a hand is put on my cheeks.

"Harry, I'm still here, I just need to open the door. Go back to sleep, please", he looks so tired, all because of me... I can't do anything right, I'm ruining him too. All I can do is nod and put my head back on the pillow.

"Haz, please stop crying. I'll be back in a minute. Just please, stop crying okay", Louis says while walking to the door. 

I hear voices and I know I'm going insane when I hear Michael's voice again... The tears just keep rolling down and I don't bother wiping them away. I deserve all the pain...

"Hey Harry, I'm back. Look, I'm here. You want me to stay with you?"

I nod again. Louis lifts up the blanket, gets under it and opens his arms for me. I accept the invitation and cuddle up to him. His warmth engulfs me and awakens the tiredness in me. Before I know it, I'm not lying in Lou's arms anymore, but in the arms of the boy with the pink hair and the pretty eyes. I never felt happier.


	11. Chapter 11

*Niall's POV*

Waking up, I realize that I am not in my bed, cause my pillow isn't this warm and fuzzy. Nor is my bed sheet purple. It isn't a large bed either. Yet here I am, drowning in a massive amount of bed sheet with no end of this bed in sight. This is so spacious, but I still feel claustrophobic. I need to get out! 

"Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike... Please Mike! Where are you? I need you! Mike! I. Can't. Breath. Mike!", due to the lack of breath I start panicking. That's never a good sign. I need help.  
"Shhtt! It's okay Niall, I'm here. Don't worry, I'm here."  
"Where were you Mike, why would you leave me? Where did you even come from? You weren't here."

"I'm here now, that is all that matters. You are safe. Calm down Ni, for me?"  
"But... How? Did you open the door? I didn't hear it?"  
"You needed me and I'm here. Just like I promised."

Mike opens his arms and I crawl in them. For some reason his smell and warmth make me relax again. My panic attack slowly goes away and my breathing returns.

"Mike?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Where am I?"  
"At Matt and Ashtyn's."  
"Why? Did I do something wrong?"  
"What!? No! Why would you think that?"  
"Why would uncle Harry send me away if I wasn't a bad boy?", I pout.  
"Your uncle Harry is just a bit tired and doesn't feel so well. He needs some rest and because he doesn't want you to be bored until he is healthy again, he brought you here. That way you can have fun with Matt and Ashtyn. You like them, don't you?"  
"I do. They are funny. I just miss my uncle Harry."  
"I know Ni."  
"When will he be better Mike?"  
"I don't know."

We stay silent for a while and I really wish Mike has more answers. Even though, Michael says that none of this is my fault, I know that it is. 

"Mike?"  
"It really isn't your fault Ni."  
"How did you know I was going to ask that? Can you read minds?"  
"No, I can't", Mike chuckles, "But I know when something is bothering you."  
"How do you know though?"  
"Cause I'm pretty sure that it is my fault. You always feel like a screw up, but I'm the king of messing up. I'm pretty sure I ruined everything?"  
"What did you do? It can't be that bad?"  
"I nearly kissed Harry again, but then I disappeared and just left him."  
"Oh."  
"I'm so sorry Ni. If you want me to leave and never come back, I would understand. I'm not a good friend."  
"What? Of course you are. You are just confused. I read about it in this book. Being Confused For Dummies. And then it says what you have to do to not be confused again."  
"You are making this up right?"  
"Noooooooooooooooooppppppppppeeeeeeeeeee! It said something about Yogi, but I always thought he was a bear, so that's stupid. It also said something about watching cry films cause it will get all the negative energy out of you."  
"I'm pretty sure you mean Yoga and I don't easily cry with films."  
"Do you do Yoga then?"  
"Nope, I don't see how I would do that. I can't stand on my two feet properly without losing my balance, let alone standing on my head..."  
"Miikkee! Come on! Let's just try the sad movie. Pulease! You always take care of me, now let me take care of you. We can make chicken soup, cause uncle Harry always makes me that when I don't feel well. If you want me to, I can feed you.", I give him my biggest smile, hoping that it will help.  
"Fine, but only if you answer a question of mine first."  
"Sure. What's your question?"  
"Why do you always blame yourself. Even now when I told you your uncle isn't feeling well, you keep blaming yourself. I wouldn't be surprised that even though all of this is my fault, you will somehow find a way to blame it on you."  
"Well yeah... Uncle Haz knows you, because you are my best friend. If I didn't know you, he wouldn't be sad. Then again, meeting you was the best thing to have ever happened to me. I feel just as confused as you and uncle Harry.", I sigh and flush pink. Yet again did I tell Mike that it was my fault, just as he predicted, and that makes me feel like a failure twice as hard.  
"To answer your question though, I feel like everything is my fault, because so far everything has been my fault. Uncle Harry always fought with my mum, cause she didn't raise me well and because she just wasn't nice towards me. Then she left, because she didn't want to be a mum. So, if she doesn't want to be a mum, that means that I'm not a good son. Otherwise she would want to be a mum. I get bullied in school, because my mum left and because I'm weird. They call me a freak. I know I am a freak... I talk funny, I'm short, I eat too much, my knee is very bad and it twists in the wrong way a lot of times. Mike, I'm never going to be as cool and funny as you are. I'm just stupid. Who even gets afraid in a bed cause there are too many blankets.", I sigh frustrated and wipe the few tears away. Boys don't cry, and here I am crying like a baby.   
"Niall, you are the strongest, most amazing and funny person I have ever met. Don't feel so bad about yourself. I'm pretty sure that by the time you are 18 you will out-cool me."  
"Out-cool is not a word Mike."  
"I know, but that's the fun of it."

I nod and smile. Mike is silly, I like that. 

"Mike, do you know how to get off this bed, cause I'm lost."

He grabs me by the hand and pulls me out of bed. We walk silently down the stairs, not wanting to wake anyone that isn't up yet. When I arrive in the kitchen though, both Ashtyn and Matt are up already and sitting at the kitchen table that contains a huge pile of Belgian Waffles. 

"Good morning Niall. Did you sleep well?", Matt asks softly.  
"I did, thank you. Oh and thank you for having me."  
"That's okay. You are going to spend a few days here, so if you want to do something in particular, just tell us. We can go to the movies, or the park or just play a game here. Let us know yeah."  
"I will, thanks.", I smile at them, silently wondering if Mike would be able to join us in these activities.   
"So, who wants some waffles?", Ashtyn asks me with a big smile on his face and I cannot help but to start hopping up and down, from one leg to another, while pointing at myself.  
"Me, Me, Me! PLEASE!"  
"Here you go Mister!", he smiles as he puts two waffles on my plate! TWO! Uncle Haz would only give me one. WOW!  
"Oh, euhm... Do you think Michael could have one?"  
"Sure, I'll grab him a plate and I'll give him one. Or does he want two?"

Michael holds two fingers up and I nod. I should have known. He likes food, no scratch that... He LOVES food. 

"He would like two please. If that is okay of course Ashtyn."  
"Sure, I have more than enough."

Ashtyn sets another plate and all of us start eating. I was expecting some weird glances towards Mike, cause Matt and Ashtyn can't see him, yet his food keeps disappearing. They never said anything though and just cleaned the dishes...Well, that was... euhm... Bizarre? 

"Matt?!"  
"Yes Ni?"  
"Do you know how to make chicken soup?"  
"Sure, why do you want to know?"  
"Michael isn't feeling well, and when you don't feel well you either drink tea or eat chicken soup. He just drank tea with is waffles, so now I want him to eat the soup."  
"Sure, I'll make it, you go keep yourself busy. Also Ni, I don't want you in the kitchen until I'm done cooking okay. It can be a dangerous place after all."  
"I promise Matt!"

When I am almost at the kitchen door I turn around and look at him.

"Do you have sad movies here?"  
"Yes, I do! Just look at cupboard next to the television."  
"Thank you!"

It didn't take much time to find the perfect film. Uncle Harry always sobs with Ps. I Love You, so I decide to give that a go. 

Michael and I are lying next to each other on the couch. We don't say or do much, we are completely focused on the film. It's a pretty sad one and I started crying ten minutes into it. That's okay, I'm not at home, I don't have to hold it in. Not much later I feel hair tickling my neck andr tears stream onto my skin. I know Mike is hiding himself in my hair. He never wants to cry and show that he is weak. Mike isn't weak though, he is confused and I really think he likes my uncle Harry. Too bad uncle Harry doesn't want a boyfriend. Him and Mike would be perfect together.

 

Matt finally walks in with a plate of chicken soup and gives it to me. I thank him, sit up straight and nudge Mike. When he finally looks up at me, he sees the plate of soup. He doesn't complain and just lets me feed him. 

"Come on Mike, open up! Big scoop! Look, it's a plane! And it flies right into your mouth!", I giggle, while he just scoffs and continues eating the soup. 

After that both of start to get sleepy again. It's noonish, yet I am completely knackered from all the crying and taking care of Mike. I learned one thing about this though, a sad film isn't here to lift the mood, or to make you less confused. It just makes you tired. Crawling closer to Mike I lay my head on his chest and fall asleep. 

I don't know how long Mike and I have been sleeping, but Zayn barging through the door ends our nap right away. Brittney is walking behind him and chuckles at the behaviour of the boy in front of her. 

"I'm sorry about him, he really is just a child and with that I mean, he acts younger than Niall."  
"Hey! I'm just excited to tell them the news okay!", Zayn pouts.  
"What news? It'd better be good Malik. Hurt my friend and I hurt you.", Matt says defensively, but calms down when Ashtyn wraps his arms around his waist.   
"You know how I took Brittney out on a date yesterday yeah?"

All of us nod, even I heard the full story this morning. It was about time! 

"Well, I took her out on a date again today. We had a cute lunch and then went to the London eye and when it reached it's highest point -", Zayn gets interrupted by Brittney.  
"He asked me to be his girlfriend and I said YES!", she screams excitedly.

We all jump of the couch, hug them and congratulate them. FINALLY! Thank the Lord! HALLELUJA!

"How about we get the guys over and celebrate! We have been waiting too long for this to happen", Ashtyn says.   
"Yes, Let's get Liam and Louis and then obviously Harry, cause he is at Lou's right now.", Matt states, while counting the people on his fingers. 

Texts are send and phone calls are made. Everyone brings a bit of food along and it sounds amazing. Fondue has always been a favourite of mine. Food in general really! A while later I am opening the door to Liam, Lou and my uncle Harry. I engulf them all in big hugs and hurry them inside.

"Mike, Mike, Mike, Look who's here! It's only my uncle Haz! Aaaahh!!"  
"That's great Niall, really... Really great", he turns around and walks into the kitchen.  
"Uhm, Ni, did you let Ashton in by any chance?", Louis asks, while looking around.  
"Oh, he is here!? Your Ashton?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Where!?"  
"I'm guessing right outside the door."

I run towards the door and see this blonde guy looking around, thinking about knocking. 

"Hi! You must be Ashton!"  
"And you must be Niall."  
"Yes, yes, yes! It is I! Niall Horan, but now Niall Styles, cause well, I live with uncle Harry now and not with my dad and my mum is gone as well, so now uncle Hazza changed it into Styles, because he is my guardian and I am ranting and I'm so so so sorry, but I'm just so excited to meet you!"  
"Well, that was all really interesting. Really! I'm also very excited to meet you, although I'm a bit surprised you can see me, since you are Mike's friend."  
"I'm just really childish at heart, Mr. Ashton. I don' have many friends, so I think I can see you so you can become my friend as well", I smile at him, while rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet.   
"Okay, let's be friends then."  
"Yay! Oh, you should come in. Oops!"  
"Don't worry about that Niall. We were bonding, that comes first, entering the house is only second on my priority list."

Ash walks in and goes straight to Mike. Uncle Harry is sitting closely to Lou, his head on Louis' shoulder. I'm confused now... Is uncle Haz dating Louis? Weren't Louis and Liam dating... WHAT IS GOING ON!? 

"Guys, everything is set to start the fondue! But first a toast to the lovely new couple Brittney and Zayn. To Zaytney!", he says and we all join in. 

Mike is sitting next to me, we are talking and having a great laugh. I notice uncle Haz looking at us, but he looks away whenever Mike looks up. The same goes for Mike. Even though he is talking to me, he is observing my uncle. His full attention finds me whenever uncle Hazza is looking at him. Why can't they just look at each other and smile or just talk. Weren't they friends or becoming friends. A kiss can't ruin that much... It just means that they are in L.O.V.E... It's not that hard! I'm eight and I get it... Grown - ups make everything so difficult. Sigh.


	12. Chapter 12

*Mike's POV*

The only good thing about tonight is that Ash is here. We have been talking about a lot and he has tried to keep my mind of Harry. Let me just say that it didn't work. The boy sitting opposite of me is drawing me in like a moth to a flame. I am aware of every little movement he makes, his rising chest when he breathes, the flutter of his eyelashes, the dimples popping up whenever he laughs... I don't get it, I don't think I ever will. Everything he does is so clear to me, while I have no clue what colour eyes Louis has and he is Harry's best mate. I should know that... 

"Hey mate, want to go to the kitchen and get some more soda?", Ash asks, getting me out of my thoughts.  
"Yeah sure, I need another view."  
"As if you aren't enjoying it?", Ashton smirks.  
"To be fair, no, not really."

We walk out of the room, into the kitchen and grab ourselves a fizzy drink.

"So, you and Harry huh?"  
"What about it?"  
"Are you in love?"  
"What? No!"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes! No! I don't know..."  
"What aren't you sure about?"  
"I have never been in love before Ash, I have no clue what it is like or how I am supposed to feel. Also, I am here for Niall, not for Harry."  
"You kind of are mate, remember Simon's words? You need to focus on his uncle as well, learning him how to be young again... Something along those lines."  
"Helping him to become young again, not to confuse him much more. Besides how can I help him when I keep disappearing. It either means he doesn't want to believe in me or he just isn't interested in the person that is me."  
"He has been staring at you the entire night Mike, I'm pretty sure he likes you in more than a friendly way."  
"How do you even know he was staring at me, maybe he was staring at the chair I sat at, cause I was invisible."  
"Even then, he kept glancing to see whether you would pop up. He likes you."  
"You don't know that."

Before Ash could reply though a loud noise fills our ears. We both turn around and see Harry standing there, looking at the plate that is shattered in tiny little pieces.

"Euhm... Yeah, so... uhm... I dropped that plate. Don't worry about it... you should just... euhm... continue your converstion.", Harry drops to his knees and starts cleaning up.  
"Do you want me to help you?"   
"No, no, don't worry. I'm fine. Really. See... I'm cleaning. I can do that... DAMN! Ugh, that hurts!"  
"You okay?"  
"Yeah, I just cut my finger. That's okay though. I can handle it, I'll probably even survive the attack on my finger. What am I saying...", Harry looks around frantically, then back at his feet and lets his shoulders slump in a defeated way.  
"I'll... let me put a bandage on that? Yeah, I'll do that."  
"I'm just going to go back to the living room and leave you two to it.", Ash says and winks at me. I know that it means something, I just don't know what.  
"Do you have any clue where Matt and Ashtyn keep their bandages?"  
"Nope, I don't."  
"Well, I'm sorry for invading their privacy then, but I'm going to go through their drawers...", I slowly walk to a cupboard and open the drawers, finally finding some bandages, "So euhm... There are bandages on here with cats or bears... Euhm... is that bad?".  
"Just, give me a cat one?"  
"Sure, sure...", I stick my tongue out, focusing on putting the bandage on Harry's finger.   
"Michael? Can I ask you a question?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Why do you have whiskers on your face?"  
"Oh, uhm, yeah... I uhm, was playing this game with Niall earlier... You know when we just finished dinner and he was bored. I don't expect you to know that... I was probably invisible... But uhm, yeah.. I was a cat, hence the whiskers. Sort of forgot about them? I think? Can I ask you a question?"  
"Yeah... Sure..."  
"Why did you drop the plate?"  
"Oh, uhm... I'm just a very clumsy person... That's it..."  
"Did you hear everything Ash and I were saying?"  
"I might have heard most of it yeah..."  
"Don't worry, IDontLoveYouSeriouslyYouAreSafe."  
"What?"  
"Nothing, just forget about it."  
"Oh, okay..."  
"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, where are you? Come on! You are being boring! I thought we were here to PARTY! Oh I arranged for us to sleep over and spend the day here tomorrow! You need some distraaaccctttiiiooonnn! Oh! Hi Mike!", I wave at Louis, not really knowing what to say.  
"Lou, are you drunk?"  
"Nooooo.... Yeeeessss! Doesn't matter! COME ON WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BOYFRIENDS! YOU CAN TALK ABOUT MICHAEL!"  
"Ah, ha, Yeah... uhm... I'll be there in a second yeah... Give me a minute... Okay?..."  
"SURRREEE HAAZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAA! DON'T SNOG MIKE'S FACE OFF ALLRIGHT!", Louis wobbles out of the kitchen while laughing at his own joke. Oh boy!   
"Don't listen to him yeah... I mean... I don't want to snog you... Damn, I mean I do, but I don't and I... I'm just going to go and keep my mouth shut. Sorry, about this. I hope you have fun. See you Michael."  
"Harry?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Why don't you call me Mike like everyone else?"  
"I don't know."  
"Oh."  
"Michael?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm going to do it anyways, cause it can't get anymore awkward than this. Even if you are invisible, you will always be visible to me. Also, you are the most adorable kitten I have ever seen. Thanks for the bandage.", He gives me a shy smile, scratches the back of his neck, turns towards me, then turns back around and walks through the door... leaving me on my own. 

What the... What was that? I'm not going in there. I'll just stay in the kitchen for the rest of the evening. I can do that, I can't follow him and ask him what that meant. My head is hurting so bad right now. I drop myself on the floor, my back against the kitchen cabinets, my head in my hands. If only the ground could swallow me up right now. A single tear slips from my cheek and I don't even know why. Is it out of frustration, embarrassment or something entirely different? Maybe it is because of the hurt that is filling my entire body. Why though? Is this love that I am feeling towards Harry or is it something else. Why don't I know this, I feel so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid me... I hit my head against the cabinets a few times, but a tiny hand stops me.

"Mike? What are you doing?", Niall asks, worry in his eyes.  
"I'm okay. Don't worry about me Ni."  
"What's going on? Did you cry?"  
"I just fell and got hurt.", I can't tell him the truth, no matter how much I want to. How do you tell a little boy that his uncle confuses you, how everything he says goes straight to your heart or slaps you in the face, cause you don't understand the entire situation.  
"Oh, are you better now?"  
"Yeah, I am. Thanks for asking Ni."  
"Come on, come to the living room. Everyone is dancing and having fun and it is just not the same without you."  
"Allright! Let's go!", I chuckle and thank the lord for bringing me to Niall Styles. He has changed my life in a good way and he keeps on doing so every day. 

All of us are dancing and hopping around, singing along to all the songs Zayn is putting on. The only two people sitting out of the dance party are Brittney and Harry. Brittney is just giggling and staring at Zayn, who keeps winking flirtatiously at her. Harry is sitting at the table, looking at his phone, scowling and looking quite irritated. He then leaves the room with his phone against his ear. Yet again work comes first. When he arrives back into the room a few minutes later he sits on his chair again, still scrolling through his phone. I walk towards him and sit myself next to him. He doesn't even look up. Sigh.

"Harry? Don't you want to dance with me? Or Niall? It is quite fun."

He stays silent, not even noticing me.

"Look, did I do something wrong, for you to ignore me?"

Harry suddenly looks up and stars at the dancing crowd.

"I still can't see him? But it's been an hour now... Mike, where are you?", he whispers desperately. 

To be fair, I don't know why, but hearing him say that hurt me so much. Knowing that he still can't see me anytime of the day... Ugh. Sitting this close to him, seeing him so sad, makes me feel sad and angry and annoyed and just... confused I guess. 

"If only you could hear and see me now Harry. If only. But I guess this is the perfect time for me to tell you how I feel... I don't know. I'm just going to do it anyway."

Sometimes I feel like were not going to make it  
Sometimes we act like we really hate this  
But we couldn't replace this  
Lets face it

Its true  
Yeah we could both be cruel  
Yeah we could both be fools  
I play that game as well as you can do  
to treat me the way you do  
and act like you never knew  
and I'll pretend that I don't love you too  
I don't love you too, don't love you too  
you know I do

 

Did I just admit that I love him? Is this really what I'm feeling? I know one thing for sure, it's not because I admitted it to myself, that I will be admitting it to others. Not just yet anyways.


	13. Chapter 13

*Harry's POV*

I couldn't get over the fact that Michael yet again disappeared. Why does it keep happening? What did I do wrong... I don't get it. Seeing everyone having fun, makes me even more lonely. I don't belong here, at all. 

"Uncle Hazza?"  
"Oh, hey Ni, didn't see you coming. Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I am, but are you?", he put his hand on my cheek and nuzzles his nose against mine. This boy is too precious.   
"I'm okay little one. Don't worry about me, go have fun."  
"I will always worry about you uncle Hazza, cause I love you.", he hugs me as hard as he can, lets go and looks me into my eyes, "Come play with me, come on! Let's do twister."  
"Ni, I haven't played that game in a long time."  
"It's not about winning uncle Haz, it's about having fun. Come on! Us two against Liam and Louis. They are horrid at it! PLEASE?!"

Who can refuse him when he pulls a puppy face like that. There is nothing left for me to do, but to follow him and enter the game. 

"Harry! Come on! Join us mate! You know Twister?"  
"Yes Louis, I know twister. I'm not stupid!"  
"Okay, only now we play per team. So the last one down wins a point for their team. The teams tonight will be Harry and Niall, Li and I, Matt and Ashtyn, Brittney and Zayn, oh and Mike and Ash. You know if you guys want to participate.", Louis says to an empty couch.

It's still surreal knowing there are two people sitting there and only two people can see them. Well, two and a half, since I can see them once in a while.

"Okay, Liam! Let's win this thing!", It's adorable how certain Louis looks of his case, the only thing no one knows is how I always won this game when I played it as a young boy. I am undefeatable. The only thing that can actually turn against me are my trousers... Let's hope these skinny jeans don't cost me my victory... 

"Guys, who is going to spin the arrow?"  
"I'll do it!", Ashtyn says excitedly, "Get to your places. Okay guys, left foot yellow."

All of do as he says right away, determination filling our faces. 

"Right hand, blue. Now Left hand on red. Your left foot red as well. And your right hand on green."

It takes about 7 minutes before Niall can't hold it anymore. His little legs and arms have issues with the current stance.

"Sorry uncle Haz for disappointing you.", he looks sad, tears already filling his eyes.   
"Hey, don't say that mate, you did so well. I am really proud of you and I wouldn't want anyone else in my team.", I huff, trying to focus on Niall, while not falling down. 

The game continues and before we know it Louis is out. We are all surprised at how well he is handling his loss, then again, he is shouting Liam's name so loud, he is giving us all a headache. 

"You are going down Harry!"  
"Don't think so Liam."  
"I'm seriously wondering right now, how you can even play this game with those trousers."  
"It's not about the trousers mate. I'm just a winner and I'll keep on going until you loose."  
"As if, your trousers are going to rip, therefore you will give up."  
"Nope, I won't, I'll continue with ripped trousers, I don't care. It's not like you will be seeing much, besides my boxers."  
"I don't need to see your boxers."  
"Maybe you should, that way you'll see that it's not all about Lou's bum."  
"EXCUSE ME!", Louis shouts, making Liam clutch his heart and dropping down, "WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT! I HAVE THE BEST BUM IN BRITAIN AND EVERYWHERE ELSE! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"  
"Thank you Louis for scaring your boyfriend like that. I win! That point goes to me and Ni! Woooo!", I high-five Niall, making him smile bright. Suddenly I realise that it is the first time ever I high fived that little boy and I feel proud of myself. It's a small step, but it is one in the right direction. 

The game continues for an hour, leaving only two teams to fight for their victory. My team and Mashton. Both of them are bragging how they are undefeatable , but I will make sure that they'll fail. 

"You guys talk so much rubbish right now. You barely won the last round, so against Ni and I, you will be going down."  
"As if Styles. We will make this hard on you. The first one to give up will be you.", Ashton scoffed, going to his side of the game board.

Niall tugs my shirt and motions for me to lower myself to his height. 

"Uncle Haz, can you see Mike now? Cause if you can't see him, how are we going to play the game?"

It's only then that I realize that I can see his pretty eyes and his hair sticking all over the place. My heart starts beating faster and I need to escape out of the room for just a minute, to calm myself down. He becomes more beautiful every time I see him. I cannot handle not being around him, I cannot handle not seeing him all the time, I cannot handle sharing him with anyone... 

"Guys, I'm going to change trousers though, cause they hurt like hell after a while and all of you are wearing proper gear. Matt, do you mind me borrowing one of your sport shorts?"  
"Nope, go for it mate."

Finally we start our last game. Louis is spinning the arrow this time and he is being utterly annoying by shouting the game instructions.

"LEFT FOOT ON GREEN! NO WAIT YELLOW! NO GREEN! HA I WAS WRONG! MY BAD! NOW LEFT HAND ON WHITE! THERE IS NO WHITE! GOT YOU!"  
All of us are annoyed right now, but still hold on, not wanting to let our partner down. 

"Uncle Haz, if Louis doesn't hurry up I'm going to fall...", Ni whispers to me with tears in his eyes.  
"Don't cry Ni, it's not bad if you fall okay. It's just a game, it's meant to be fun."  
"Then why do you want to win so badly?"  
"To show all of them that I can actually play games instead of working all the time."

Niall smiles at that, then focuses back on Louis' instructions. The first one to go down is Ashton.

"Uncle Harry! Look, I'm not the first one to go! Look look look! I'm still up! Yay!", he beams proudly and I almost fail the game by clapping for him, but with a bit of effort we manage a high five without falling. To be fair, I'm getting the hang of the high five ritual. Yes, this is a proud moment for both Niall and I, and I'm so happy that I get to share it with him.   
"RIGHT HAND ON BLUE, LEFT HAND ON YELLOW, LEFT FOOT ON GREEN!", Louis continues and I'm pretty sure all of us will be deaf after this game. 

Five minutes later Niall gives up, but unlike the last times he fell down he is actually smiling and just enjoying the fact that he didn't go down first. He is growing up so fast and I can't remember when that happened. Note to myself: pay more attention to Niall's happiness, instead of being a boring old hag that only works. Niall starts giggling but I don't understand why, until I see him looking between me and the boy next to me. Nerves start taking over and my palms get sweaty. I don't want to give up, because that would mean Ni and I would lose and I don't want to give Ashton that satisfaction. Michael's proximity isn't helping and every little touch becomes unbearable. His leg caresses mine, his hair touches my cheek... Yeah, we are definitely too close. 

I'm trying to focus on Louis screaming the instructions, but the sniggers, winks and giggles from the others keep distracting me. Before we know it Mike is standing over me, my hands and feet next to his, his breath on my neck... My hands are slipping away, but it's not thanks to them that I fall down, no... Thank you Michael Clifford for losing your balance while being on top of me, making me fall first, and with that losing the game. Michael scrambles up, turns too fast, falls back down on me, his face way too close to mine.

"I'm so sorry Harry! Damn! Did I hurt you?", he asks with no intention of getting up.   
"Don't worry, I'm okay.", I reply.  
"It's my fault you lost... I didn't plan on that, I wanted you to win you know. It would have made Ni happy."  
"Well, this way he learns that games are all about fun and not about winning. Besides, Michael, I won in my own way."  
"What do you mean?"

I lean closer to him, my lips next to his ear. 

"I have you on top of me. What more could I ask for... Mike?", I whisper, emphasising his nickname, giving him a slight kiss on his cheek.

His eyes grow big, his mouth hanging slack. Mike starts crawling slowly off me and then walks out of the room as fast as he can. People just tell me how funny we looked lying there on the floor and Ashton obviously brags about winning. He can have this one, I will beat him with some other game. The sooner the better. 

By now Niall is sleeping on the couch and has missed the little interaction between Mike and I. Somehow I am happy that he missed out on that, otherwise he would either keep asking questions or push me into understanding my feelings. At the moment I like the mystery a bit and just want to get to know Michael better without interference of anyone, even my little nephew. 

I'm getting slightly worried about Michael, he disappeared about half an hour ago and there is no sign of him whatsoever. Normally I'm not the type of person to go wondering through someone else's house, but for now I'll make an exception. I miss Mike... There I said it... I miss him. He isn't in any room and I'm getting desperate... What if he left, what if he went home? I don't even know where he lives, does he even have a home? Ni told me loads of times about him going to bed with Mike in the same room and him being the first thing he sees when he wakes up... Is it bad that I'm actually jealous of that? Suddenly my eyes catch a glimpse of a Pikatchu hat and I know I found him. 

"Hey Mike... What are you doing out here?"  
"Why do you call me Mike?"  
"Isn't it what you wanted?"  
"Yeah, but it's not what you want."  
"Who says so?"  
"You, a few hours ago..."

"I didn't. Look... Why don't you come back inside. It's cold on the balcony. I don't want you getting ill."  
"Why not?"  
"Niall would miss you...", I stare at my feet, then back at him...,"I would miss you. So, are you coming?" 

I hold my hand out for him, waiting for him to grab it. We walk to the living room together and share a couch.

"Hey Haz! You can take revenge on Mike now.", Matt says.  
"Really, why would I do that?"  
"He just ripped your dignity to shreds", Zayn chuckled.  
"Mike didn't do such thing. He is just the fair winner." Michael smiles shyly, a blush forming on his cheeks.  
"Come on mate! You are good at FIFA! It's your chance", Ashtyn laughs.  
I turn myself to Michael: "Fancy a friendly game of FIFA?"  
"Sure why not?"

I have no clue how long we have been playing, when music blasts through the radio. The others start dancing around like idiots again, obviously tired of watching us play. Niall stirs on the couch next to us and covers his ears. I ask Mike to take a five minute break so I can put Ni in bed. The guestroom is as good as his room so I'm sure no one would mind. I kiss his head softly and then his cheek. Niall just turns around and starts snoring softly, no worries visible on his face. 

By the time I arrive back at Michael I feel tired myself, but I'm too comfortable next to him. A soft tune comes from the radio and it lulls me into this sweet bliss. I put my head on Mike's shoulder, sighing contently. His eyes are burning on my face, so I look up at him, slightly afraid that I will see an annoying expression on there. It couldn't be further from the truth though, cause his face is glowing, his smile touching his eyes. I get more comfortable, leaning more into him, feeling a small kiss on my hair. 

The song on the radio makes me smile, it also makes me want to dance with Mike, but I am too tired and too happy. 

Something about you  
It's like an addiction  
Hit me with your best shot honey

I've got no reason to doubt you  
'Cause certain things hurt  
And you're my only virtue  
And I'm virtually yours

 

My head lands on his lap, his hand stroking traces in my hair. 

 

And you keep coming back, coming back again  
Keep running round, running round, running round my head

And there's certain things that I adore  
And there's certain things that I ignore  
But I'm certain that I'm yours  
Certain that I'm yours  
Certain that I'm yours

 

I turn my head up, so that I can watch his green/brownish eyes. His eyes lock with mine and I just can't seem to look away from them. 

 

There's something about you  
It's when you get angry  
You have me at your mercy

And you're like a shoulder to turn to  
Cause certain things burn just when we're hanging on for dear life  
We held on so tight

And you keep coming back, coming back again  
Keep running round, running round, running round my head

 

Finally I give in to my sleepy mind. Mike's hand in my hair, his eyes shining bright and his dazzling smile make my head fuzzy. I don't mind falling asleep now, nothing could have been a better last view. His other hand touches my cheek carefully, giving me the chance to pull away, but I don't. 

 

And there's certain things that I adore  
And there's certain things that I ignore  
But I'm certain that I'm yours

"Mike?", I ask, my voice filled with sleep.  
"Yeah Harry?"  
"Why don't you call me Haz or Hazza?", He chuckles as I use his words against him.   
"Go to sleep Harry, you're tired."  
"Mmm, still, call me Haz."  
"Okay, Haz, now go to sleep."

Certain that I'm yours  
Certain that I'm yours

I adore you... I adore you...  
Certain that I'm yours

"I will only sleep on one condition."  
"What's that Haz?", his hand is massaging my scalp and I almost lose myself in this feeling.   
"I like you."  
"I like you too, but that's not a condition."  
"Riigghttt. Go on a date... Yawn.. with me?", I whisper.   
"Okay."

I close my eyes, almost dreaming instantly about the boy that is holding me. The game of FIFA long forgotten. Before I fall asleep, I can still hear him wonder out loud.

"What colour hair would you like the most on me Harry..."  
"Pink.", I smile.


	14. Chapter 14

*Niall's POV*

I wake up in my comfy bed again. Well not really my bed, but the one I'm sleeping in at Matt and Ashtyn's. Is it bad that I like this bed better than my own? Let's not tell Uncle Harry this. Shhhtt! The alarm clock on the nightstand says it's 7am, so I know that the grown ups will not be awake yet. Whatever... I'm not going to stay in my bed and be quiet just because they want to party hard and then complain about headaches all the time. If that is the effect of having a party I'm never going to one... Nu uh! 

I sneak from the stairs and find my way to the kitchen easily without making a sound. If they aren't going to wake up, I'll make breakfast myself. How hard can it be? The only thing I need to do now is find food. The cheerios and spoon I have already found. Yes! That's almost everything. Now some milk and a bowl. After walking around in the kitchen I see the fridge and I'm guessing the milk is in there. If only Uncle Haz could see me fixing breakfast right now, he'd be so proud of me. The milk goes next to the spoon and the Cheerios that are already placed on the countertop. For some reason I can't seem to find a bowl, sigh... If I were a bowl, where would I hide? Looking up I notice different cupboards on the wall. That must be it. Why is everything so high though. Chair... Chair... Chair... I drag the chair closer to the cupboards and stand on it. Obviously, I'm still too short. No one told me that making breakfast is this hard. Standing on my tippy toes I reach out for the cupboard and even manage to open it. Success! Things can't go that easily of course, nooo... While reaching up for a bowl I lose my balance, trying to hold myself up to something I grab the closest thing to me, a pile of plates. Falling backwards, I have an inkling of what is going to happen and instead of putting my hands first so they can cushion the blow, I use them to cover my head. Mare seconds later plates fall down everywhere, on the floor, my head... The hundreds of tiny pieces scraping my skin. When the last piece drops, the kitchen is filled with an eerie silence. Suddenly realisation hits me and pain, fear, guilt all rush into my body. Blood oozes out of some wounds and I don't know what to do. Panic is taking over, doubling every emotion I'm going through and I start crying. Sobs are leaving my mouth and my body starts shaking. The kitchen door flies open and eight people run through. They suddenly stop and take in everything that happened. 

The first one's to really respond are Zayn and Blake. They push the other's out of the way and run to me. Blake picks me up, away from the shards while Zayn is looking for the first aid kit. My head is resting on his shoulder and I feel so sleepy again. I sniffle, silent tears still rolling over my cheeks, while yawning loudly. Before I know it I drift off and I'm surrounded by darkness. 

"Ni, wake up honey. You need to eat.", a hand caresses my head over and over again. Slowly I pry my eyes open and see Ashtyn sitting next to me. Lifting my head, everything starts hurting. The pain trails through my body and I can't help but groan. Suddenly the event from earlier hits my head again and tears fill my eyes. 

"I'm so sorry Ashtyn! I'm so so so sorry! Please, I'll clean everything up and I'll clean the rest of your house and I'll go in time-out for as long as you think seems fit. Maybe I can make you a pretty drawing or I'll do chores at home, so Uncle Haz can pay me and I can buy you plates again.", I ramble, my head hiding in my hands. To my surprise I feel his arms pull me closer into his body.   
"Niall, ssshhtt. Stop crying for me okay. It'sfine. Those are just plates, nothing more. I'm just really happy that you are good, besides the few cuts and bruises. You can do one thing for me though."  
"Anything Ashtyn, really! Anything! I'm sorry. Really! I have never been so sorry for anything in my life. Even flooding the living room wasn't this bad." Ashtyn lifts one eyebrow and looks at me confused.   
"Eeehhh... Euhm... It was nothing?", I say while smiling shyly.   
"Anyways, Ni, can you promise to ask help from an adult when something is too high. Even though that means that you have to wake up someone? Even when it's early? You are more important than sleep okay. Right now your uncle is going nuts. He is so worried about you and thinks that you didn't dare to go to him for help cause he was always so strict on you."  
"I promise Ashtyn", I look down, shaking my head a bit, " you do believe me right? I really didn't mean for it and I'm not afraid of uncle Hazza, I just wanted him to sleep, cause he seems tired lately."  
"I believe you bud. It's really sweet that you were worried about your uncle, but that's not your job. That is ours, we need to worry about you."  
"Okay, who is going to worry about my uncle?"  
"All of us will, he isn't alone Ni."  
"Okay. I'll go apologize to uncle Haz for being a bad person now."

I leave the bedroom, my shoulders slumped, my head hanging down in shame, my cheeks bright red. Getting of the stairs takes a while, cause every step hurts... Yup, I fell properly... Voices reach me and I hear them talking about me... Nerves are fluttering in my stomach and for some reason I really want it to be butterflies. People always say that when butterflies are in your stomach you are happy... Guess I'm not. I take a deep breath and finally push open the door. Seven heads look right at me and I try to ignore all the stares. I walk to uncle Harry and climb on his lap, my head facing his.

Before I can actually say something I am engulfed in a big hug, with uncle Hazza kissing every inch of my face.

"Don't even think about apologizing okay, not to me anyways. I should apologize for not being there when you were hungry. Tell me... are you okay, are you hurt? I love you so much Ni, I would have never forgiven myself if something happened to you and I couldn't save you."  
"I'm okay, it's not your fault. Really, it isn't. Next time I'll wake you. I just wanted to be a big boy, show you that I could make my own breakfast... Other 8-year old boys can do that..."  
"You make your breakfast all the time Ni. The only reason why it failed was because the bowl was so high up. I'm still so very proud of you for not giving up and thinking of ways to reach the bowl. Niall, you are a big boy and you grow up so fast. How about we both say sorry and we drop this?"  
"Okay. I'm sorry uncle Harry."  
"I'm sorry Niall."

He hugs me close again and his warmth and steady heartbeat comfort me. The rest of the people surrounding us coo at us, but for once I can't care.

*A Week Later*

My cuts are almost healed now, yay! It's about time. Ripping all those bandages off my cuts to clean them up seriously hurt. The good thing about ripping them all off without complaining is that uncle Haz told me we are going to the swimming pool today as a treat. Mike is coming with us, so I can't wait to push him underwater loads of times. Hehehe. He doesn't know what's coming. 

"Hey Ni, have you packed you swimming bag?"  
"Yes, uncle Haz. Swimming shorts, goggles and a towel. Oh and a comb. Yup, I think I have everything."  
"Good job Ni! I knew you could do this on your own."  
"Does that mean that I get a high five again? Please?", I say with loads of excitement in my voice, cause high fives are my new favourite thing. Uncle Harry smiles and holds up his hand that I hit with mine.   
"Come on bud, Mike is already waiting in the car."

I run through the door of the swimming pool, my shorts and goggles on, it's been too long since I've been here. 

"Niall, stop running. You know it's slippery in here, I don't want you falling on your head or something.", before I can say anything Michael steps in.  
"Harry, it's okay. Niall is excited, that's good. Sure, if he falls he will hurt, but he is a little boy, he falls over all the time.", Mike says while chuckling. 

Harry huffs, but nods. I go back to him and grab his hand.

"Come on Uncle Haz, let's jump in at the same time? Please please please."  
"Don't worry Niall, if he refuses, I'll push him in.", Mike winks at me.   
"Fine... Let's jump on the count of three. One, two - "

I jump in the water, not being able to wait any longer and pull uncle Harry with me. We keep our hands locked underwater and look around us. Everything is so peaceful and quiet under the surface. The blue-ish glow makes everything so much prettier. If only I could breath right now, if only there was no danger of me drowning. Suddenly my vision of uncle Harry becomes blurry, bubbles floating in front of my eyes, another presence close by. I kick my feet against the water and rise up, screams filling my ears, brightness blinding me. Turning around I see it was Mike who jumped in behind me, disturbing the peaceful time with my uncle, but I don't blame him. We are here to have fun, not to stay silent for a long time. Also, I think he was missing my uncle. 

"Niall, stop! You are going to hurt Mike if you keep jumping on him like that!"  
"Harry, I'll tell him to stop if he hurts me okay. Don't worry. Just relax."  
"Niall! Don't go underwater for such a long time... You are giving me a heart attack!"  
"Hazza, please just have fun and enjoy a smiling Niall. Please?"  
"Ni! Watch out for the other people! You aren't alone in this swimming pool!"  
"Haz, he is being careful. Ni is okay and so are all the other people. Come swim with me."

I see Mike putting his head against Uncle Harry's and I just can't contain a squeal. They are adorable. If uncle Haz ever tells me he is dating Mike I won't mind... NOPE NOPE NOPE! I WON'T! They are even better for each other than Ron and Hermione, Percy and Annabeth, Anna and Kristoff. Omg, talking about frozen, I seriously, seriously need an Olaf! A talking snow man! Yes!

No matter how cute they are, I just can't let them forget about me right!? So I swim over to them and wiggle my way in between Mike and my uncle. My arms go around uncle Harry's neck and my legs around his waist. I smile brightly at him and he just hugs me closer. Then I feel Mike embracing me and my uncle. Their heads find their way together again and I hear Mike singing a song in my uncle's ear.

Hey there, it's good to see you again  
It never felt right calling this just friends  
I'm happy if you're happy with yourself

Take off your shirt, your shoes

Those skinny jeans I bought for you  
We're diving in, there's nothing left to lose

I'm gonna break down these walls I built around myself  
I wanna fall so in love with you and no one else

Could ever mean half as much to me as you do now  
Together we'll move on, just don't turn around  
Let the walls break down

I used to wear you like a ball and chain

I'd run and hide at the call of my name  
It was obvious, you were too much for me  
Oblivious, I was young and horny

In retrospect, I wouldn't do it again

Stop talking shit to every one of your friends  
I'm not the same boy you knew back then

'Cause I can break down these walls I built around myself  
I wanna fall so in love with you and no one else

Could ever mean half as much to me as you do now  
Together we'll move on, just don't turn around  
Let the walls break

I can't breathe, my body's shaking

You got a way with the way you take me  
'Cause you break me down  
You know you break me down

I'm gonna break down these walls I built around myself

I wanna fall so in love with you and no one else  
Could ever mean half as much to me as you do now  
Together we'll move on, just don't turn around

Let the walls break down

(I'm gonna break down these walls I built around myself)  
Let the walls break down  
(I'm gonna break down these walls)

'Cause you break me down  
('Cause you break me down, 'cause you break me down)  
Let the walls break down 

For the first time in a long while, I finally feel like part of a family again. I hope Mike and uncle Harry, fall for each other, start dating and get married. I don't mind having two dads, not at all.


	15. Chapter 15

*Mike's POV*

Obviously great moments don't last that long, so before I knew it I had to leave Harry's house to go to the meeting again. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with Ash, Calum and Luke, but I'd rather spend time with Harry and Niall. For some reason I can see myself grow old with them, have them as my family, only... I know that that is wishful thinking.

I walk in the room, four pair of eyes trained on me. Sitting down I put my feet on the table and look around. 

"Lads, Simon. How are you?"  
"Mikey! It's been too long!", Calum smiles.  
"Yeah, dude, where have you been? We never see you around anymore. You know you don't have to stay with your case all the time right?", Luke adds.  
"Hey, hey, Mike's been busy with not only his case, but with me as well. Right Mike?", Ashton says, kinda saving me.   
"Yes! I have seen Ashton, we went to the cinema and other things."  
"Wait?! Are you in LOOOVVVEEEE?", Calum sings way to loud.  
"What?! No! We just have this connection.", Ash tries to save us, but realizes that what he said only makes it worse and groans.  
"Ashton is trying to say that we know what the other is going through with just one look. Just like you and Luke. And you are only friends right?"  
"Weelll, euhm, I kinda asked Luke out on a date and he said yes.", Calum's cheeks turn pink and he smiles shyly at Luke, who in turn takes Cal's hand and squeezes it softly.  
"Congrats guys! That's awesome! You look adorable together.", I cheer. They really are cute together. I cannot help but silently wish for Harry and I to have the same happy future.  
"Cal, Luke, I really am happy that you guys have found love together, but it is time to talk about our cases. Cal, why don't you go first?", Simon says all business like. 

Calum takes a deep breath, sorrow filling his face and we all fear for the life of the little girl he has been spending time with. 

"Well, Brittany is doing good... I know I should be happy for that, I am happy for her. She dances across the room, she giggles all the time, whenever she feels a bit down she watches Disney films all day long. Her friends come to visit her on occasion and her family is there every day. If she stays this stable she gets to go home and gets declared cancer free. Well, she'll be in remission for another four years, but still... She'll be healthy again. That also means that she barely sees me anymore. Only on the days she feels bad, she reads her stories to me, well not really reading, but she describes what is happening on the pictures. It's not that she is forgetting about me, cause she keeps drawing pictures for me, or singing to me when we are alone, hoping that I'll give a sign that I'm in the same room as her. Soon, she won't be able to see me at all and then it is all over. Not going to lie, this will be hardest case to let go of. We are, well were, so close. So yeah, I'm probably going to take a break after this case."

He smiles sadly, a tear rolling down his cheek. That is how much our cases can affect us, that is how hard saying goodbye can be sometimes. All of us fall silent, Luke embraces him and kisses him gently on the cheek. 

"I'm sad to hear that it affects you so much Calum, saying goodbye is always hard. I totally understand your decision of taking some time off. Let's move on to someone else's case, so that Cal can take a breath. Ashton?"  
"Yes, I'll go next."

Ash sits himself straight in his chair and looks at all of us. 

"Gus, he turned 5 recently. He is the best. I have seen him grown from this shy, scared boy into this adventurous, happy go lucky boy. His fantasy brings him to so many new places and it helps him make new friends. My time with him is also up, since he is becoming a big brother and he is ready for it. He feels important, secure and worthy of it. I am happy to let him go, cause I know he will do well, I know that he will be the best big brother out there."  
"Are you ready for a new case then Ashton, or do you want time off as well?"  
"I'm ready for a new case Simon. This wasn't heartbreaking like Calum's case. I didn't have to sit with him hoping he'd stay alive and somehow mentally preparing him for his death. He was just an insecure boy, that grew up to be amazing. If I can help kids with finding themselves, than the more I get to help, the better I like it.", He beams and I can only feel proud of him. Seriously, if I wasn't madly in love with Harry, Ashton would be my type. 

I'm looking around the room and see that Luke let go of Calum, ready to tell his story and I don't know whether to be relieved or frightened that I will have to go last. That my story will probably stick the best in their heads, cause it'll be the last thing we talked about.

"So yeah, my case Gregory, still didn't die. Not to sound rude, cause I don't like people dying, even if it is my job to guide them to their last rest place, but according to the doctor he should have died already. Yet, Gregory keeps going. I admire him for it though, he is living his life to the fullest, pretending that every day could be his last and that he has to make the best out of it. He has completed some things on his bucket list, like sky diving and climbing the highest rock in Stonehenge. He also got a tattoo, but he wants to keep living to perform with the Rolling Stones, or at least meet them. So while he is waiting for that to happen we keep talking about everything. His kids, his grandchildren, his life when he was younger. I also answer all his questions about the afterlife. I don't know much about it, but I try to be honest. Gregory is a fighter, yet he is also very fragile. Fear of not doing something useful with his time, fear of not being able to make a difference, fear of him disappearing in oblivion takes over his life now. Sometimes he wants to give up fighting and give in to that fear, to him being tired, but I don't want that. I want him to live the fullest life he can have and so far we are managing. My cases never have a happy ending, I mean... They always die, but if I can help them die happily and peacefully I did a good job."

Everyone looks at me again and I know it's time to talk about Niall. I don't mind at all, that little boy is doing so well, yet he still needs to find a proper balance between good and bad. 

"Yeah, so... Niall... Everything is going good with him. He is growing up just right. Doesn't always understand what he did wrong, but he becomes more playful so that's good. Ni is also more happy than when I met him. He is still a bit insecure, but I'm sure that with some more time that will go away as well."  
"How are you doing with his uncle?"  
"That goes well, he sees me... Sometimes", that's only half a lie, nobody needs to know the truth and I know Ash won't tell, "he also plays more with Niall, but he still worries too much, which isn't always a good thing. It holds Niall back of being himself. That little boy is adventurous, wild, energetic and he holds back a lot to please his uncle. On the other hand, Harry allows Niall more to be a child, they go swimming, to the theatre, things they didn't do before."  
"You are doing a good job with them then. You should be proud of yourself Mike."  
"Thanks."  
"What about the feelings you had last time? Did they grow?", Simon asks with a concerned look on his face.  
"Eh, I didn't really have the time to think about it. Playing with Niall and trying to get Harry to be less serious is the only thing that kept my mind busy."  
"So you haven't figured out what this feeling is?"  
"No, it isn't the most important thing in this case."  
"I don't know about that Mike. You know the rules."  
"Yes, I know, I know."

We all stand up, say goodbye and walk away. A hand finds my shoulder.  
"Mike, come on mate, it's just me."  
"What do you want Ashton."  
"Why didn't you tell the truth about Harry?"  
"Because I can't. One day all of this with him and Niall will stop and I cannot handle it. My thoughts are very selfish right now, I know that, but both of them need me, just as much as I need them and I cannot have this ending early. I need to know how it feels to be a proper family with them Ashton."  
"You love them..."  
"I don't know what this is... I really don't know... I just know that this can't end. Not just yet."

He smiles sadly at me and lets me walk away from him. Walking to Harry's house seems so long. In order to distract myself I decide to put on some fine, classic rock songs.

I can't fight this feeling any longer.   
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow.   
What started out as friendship,   
Has grown stronger.   
I only wish I had the strength to let it show. 

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever.   
I said there is no reason for my fear.   
Cause I feel so secure when we're together.   
You give my life direction,   
You make everything so clear. 

And even as I wander,   
I'm keeping you in sight.   
You're a candle in the window,   
On a cold, dark winter's night.   
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might. 

And I can't fight this feeling anymore.   
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.   
It's time to bring this ship into the shore,   
And throw away the oars, forever. 

Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore.   
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.   
And if I have to crawl upon the floor,   
Come crushing through your door,   
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore. 

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you.   
I've been running round in circles in my mind.   
And it always seems that I'm following you, girl,   
Cause you take me to the places,   
That alone I'd never find. 

And even as I wander,   
I'm keeping you in sight.   
You're a candle in the wind,   
On a cold, dark winter's night.   
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might. 

And I can't fight this feeling anymore.   
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.   
It's time to bring this ship into the shore,   
And throw away the oars, forever. 

Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore.   
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.   
And if I have to crawl upon the floor,   
Come crushing through your door,   
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore.

Standing in his doorway I see Harry and Niall playing cowboy and Indian, being carefree and having fun. In that moment I feel myself falling even harder for the curly haired lad.


	16. Chapter 16

*Harry's POV*

The last week has been stressful. Not only did I have my work and taking care of Niall, I was also planning a date. Never in my life had I planned one and now I was trying to come up with something unique. The date is today and I still haven't planned anything. I do arranged a babysitter for Niall, well two. Blake and Zayn are willing to take him in for the night, so that is one less thing to stress about. 

So today I did something I never do, I took a day off. I seriously didn't want to do it, but Mike is special and I want to make that clear to him through this date. Four hours to go before I see him again and Google isn't helping... So far searching for special dates has given me: bungee jumping, skydiving, swimming with sharks, going on a spontaneous holiday, recreate scenes from romantic movies like ghost and titanic... It's easy to see how all of these can't work right? I can't go out doing extreme things with Mike since no one can see him, and if I'm eaten by a shark, Niall has no parent anymore. Spontaneous holidays... yeah, not leaving Niall and recreate scenes? What scene, the one where Rose selfishly lies on the door in the freezing water, while pushing Jack under after promising to not let him go! No, not happening and Ghost is sooooo cliché. Gaaahhhh!!!!

It's bad isn't it... I'm 21 and I never even went on a date. I just should have agreed with Mike and let him organise it all, but me being the perfectionist couldn't handle it... Noooooo... Why must I be so bloody stupid! WHY!? No, I don't want to go rearrange flowers... Why not cut away my entire manhood... Nope, not firing a gun either, don't want to go to a museum... Don't want to bore him to death... Sigh... Oh, hold up... A picnic at home. Why not do that... We won't go out in public so no one thinks I'm this nutcase who orders two plates, I can put on great music, or a fun film... Show off my cooking and baking... pillows on the floor, blankets to keep us warm, hot chocolate milk with marshmallows, maybe chocolate fondue as dessert... That's never bad is it? Some candles or just dimmed lighting... Yes! This is perfect! 

I start moving my furniture out of the way, putting blankets and pillows on the floor, closing the curtains, putting candles everywhere. okay, that might be too much but whatever. Suddenly I get the greatest idea and run to my room. Somewhere, in one of the drawers, I have these glow in the dark stars. Not for me, just in case some fall of Niall's walls. Anyway, I grab them and make my way downstairs again. Standing on the couches and coffee table I manage to put them on the ceiling. I let the lights on for as long as I can, cause the brighter the stars, the better we can stargaze together. I am so clever sometimes! 

Then I make my way into the kitchen. I start making sandwiches, with cheese, ham, both, chicken, Nutella... I then start baking pancakes, muffins and brownies. Afterwards I open the fridge and find strawberries, grapes, oranges, apples, bananas. So what better than fresh orange juice and strawberries covered in chocolate. The rest of the fruit goes in the basket just in case Mike wants something else than strawberries. When everything is put in the basket, I walk back to the living room to place it in the middle of the blankets. Looking around I am satisfied with the result. The only thing now is to pick out a film or music, but Mike can help with that. 

I quickly run upstairs and start looking for casual clothing that still makes me look fairly okay. Not much later I am dressed in blue skinny jeans, a white tshirt, a plaid shirt and my leather boots. I don't look half that bad if I say so myself. Still 15 more minutes before he gets here and with every minute that ticks by, I get more nervous. What if he doesn't like it? I went overboard didn't I? Maybe I should just cancel, that way I cannot make a fool of myself. Sounds like a good idea... So okay, I'm either going paranoid or insane cause I'm hearing things. No way is he this early right? 

Opening the door I see a smiling Mike and all my doubts and fears melt away. I cannot fathom how good he looks. His neon pink hair, cherry red lips, bright eyes, plaid shirt... Wait, are we wearing the same thing? Scanning his outfit, I cannot suppress a chuckle. He is wearing a black tshirt, plaid shirt, dark blue skinny jeans and black leather boots. Finally catching up he starts laughing with me and it's the best way of starting the date. 

I let him in and sneak back to the living room to get the lights off, while Mike is closing the door behind himself. When he walk in he gasps, looks around and smiles. His face lights up and is almost as bright as the stars on the ceiling. 

"Harry! Oh... My... This is... I have no words for this. It's... perfect.", he sighs.

"It's not too much? I mean, the candles aren't very manly and - "  
"Hazza, if you don't shut up, I will have to kiss you to keep you quiet", Mike grins and walks closer to me. His arms snake around my waist and he leans in closer, "You have no clue how badly I want to kiss you right now. I'm not going to, I don't kiss on first dates... Unless they are really good.", He winks and I groan silently. Hello pressure.

"How about we put on a movie or some music and we open up the picnic basket?"

Sitting down, we decide to watch 'Sleepless In Seattle', cause you can never go wrong with Tom Hanks. I'm enjoying the film, the company and to be fair my own food. Mike giggles, coos and smiles throughout the entire film. It's so easy to lose myself in him, it also helps that I know the film by heart and don't really have to see it. The boy next to me is the best entertainment I could hope for. Yet... I cannot get rid of that nagging voice in my head that tells me everything will go wrong. No matter how much I want to relax, I can't... Not until this date ends perfectly. I'm fairly sure Mike will find my flaws any minute and run off. Don't think I could blame him if that happens. At least I will have Niall...

"Harry? Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"  
"Because the film has finished, something you obviously haven't noticed and you have been staring at me for the past hour."  
"I'm sorry."  
"Don't be... Just stop overanalysing things. For me?", He smiles softly, his hands taking mine and pulling me closer to him.  
"Fine... For you."  
"Thank you. Still not kissing you Styles.", He winks and stands up. I cannot help but blush.   
"Mikey, where are you going?"  
"Give me two seconds. I'm not going anywhere."

Soft music flows through the room. Not much later Mike crouches in front of me and takes my hands again. He pulls me up, wrapping his arms around me.

"Dance with me."

I comply to his wish and start swaying in the same rhythm as Mike. He holds me closer and starts singing along to the song. Seriously... Mike's voice is soft as silk and it is giving me goose bumps all over my body.

Oh no, did I get too close oh?  
Oh, did I almost see what's really on the inside?  
All your insecurities  
All the dirty laundry

Never made me blink one time  
Unconditional, unconditionally  
I will love you unconditionally  
There is no fear now  
Let go and just be free  
I will love you unconditionally

Come just as you are to me  
Don't need apologies  
Know that you are unworthy  
I'll take your bad days with your good

Walk through this storm I would  
I'd do it all because I love you, I love you

Unconditional, unconditionally  
I will love you unconditionally  
There is no fear now  
Let go and just be free  
I will love you unconditionally

So open up your heart and just let it begin  
Open up your heart, and just let it begin  
Open up your heart, and just let it begin  
Open up your heart

Acceptance is the key to be  
To be truly free  
Will you do the same for me?

Unconditional, unconditionally  
I will love you unconditionally  
And there is no fear now  
Let go and just be free  
'Cause I will love you unconditionally (oh yeah)

I will love you  
I will love you  
I will love you unconditionally

"That was beautiful Mikey."  
"I didn't just pick this song cause I like it Harry."  
"No?"  
"God, you are so adorable when you are clueless.", He chuckles and puts his head against mine.  
"Have you listened to the lyrics."  
"Not really?"  
"Why not Hazza?"  
"Ehm... I kinda got distracted..."  
"You are going to be the death of me with your cuteness."  
"Shut up.", I blush and start pulling away from him. No way is he going to see me all red and embarrassed.   
"Don't run away, please. I promise I'm not laughing at you." Mike pulls me closer again, my back against his chest, his arms around my waist and for the second time tonight I lose myself in him.

 

"Can you explain what you mean then... Instead of being all mysterious."  
"Will you let go of your fears? Will you please let me in?"  
"I let you in a long time ago Mike."  
"Not into your house Harry, into your heart. Let me love you properly, without fear or expectations."  
"I don't know if I can do that... What if you leave me?"  
"Look, I can't promise that things will have a happy ending, this isn't a fairy tale. At least we can try to make it work, have fun, learn how to love again. Not every relationship that ends is a bad one... Sometimes it just doesn't work out, despite all the love. I can promise you though that I will do my best to keep this, us, together. To make you laugh, hug you when you are sad, take you on dates, be playful, annoy you so I can make it up to you, kiss you every day, tell you how much I adore you, show you that you are my world. I won't expect anything in return, I'll love you unconditionally..."

A silence falls between the two of us, giving me time to let Mike's words sink in. He is right though... Not all failed relationships are bad... But what if ours fails and it leaves me broken? Then again, what if it doesn't and we grown old together. 

"Harry? What are you thinking?"

Not much at the moment... I'm scared and still...

"Did I scare you off. Should I leave?"

Should he? I don't...

"Yes."  
"Oh, Okay... It was a nice date Harry, thanks..."  
"No, Mike... Don't leave."  
"But you told me to go."

I put my head against his chest, my forehead touching his chin from the side. His lips almost touching it. 

"Don't go Mike."  
"Then what did you mean?"  
"You call me clueless?"  
"Oh, you mean...?"  
"Yes, let's try this."

He smiles and presses a soft kiss on my head. 

"Thank you."


End file.
